Finding home
by Arienhod
Summary: Slade wanted him to suffer, that's why he took the one he believed Oliver loves. He took the wrong woman. The right one Oliver lost already.
1. Chapter 1

_**I am homesick for a place I am not sure even exists.**_

 _ **One where my heart is full.**_

 _ **My body loved.**_

 _ **And my soul understood.**_

 _ **\- unknown**_

The Foundry was a cold place, even with everyone who helped keeping Starling City save present and accounted for. But tonight, when Oliver walked down the metal stairs into the open space in the basement below the nightclub, it seemed even colder.

There was no one in sight.

The computers Felicity set up for them were running on their own, something he didn't like. He preferred having the cheerful blonde sitting in front of the screens, wearing a dress in some bold color that never failed to bring life into this drab place. Her babbling filling the silence, making everyone smile due to the fact she made an innuendo and then tried to fix it but instead made everything even worse.

But Felicity wasn't in the Foundry tonight. She was out there, in the city, having dinner with someone. She was vague when she talked about it and Oliver had a feeling she was uncomfortable for some reason. But he didn't press the matter.

He had no right to.

He was her friend, her partner, nothing more. For her safety that is all they could be.

It took Oliver several moments to realize the quiet hum of the computers wasn't the only noise he could hear. It wasn't like him to be so distracted and not aware of his surroundings, not since the island where he literally had to fight for his life.

But after a while he recognized the unmistakable sound of a shower.

There was a small bathroom in the back of the Foundry that was put in good use after the training or particularly difficult mission of saving the city from the worst of their population. And right now someone was using it.

It wasn't difficult for Oliver to realize who it is, seeing as only four people know about this place and have access to it. So the process of elimination was a really short one.

And a small smile appeared on his face.

Suddenly the computer beeped and Oliver looked around before sighing. His first instinct was to look for Felicity, let her take the lead when it comes to technology. She was their expert after all. But she wasn't there.

And Oliver had to find out what was going on by himself.

It was easier said than done, because Felicity was a genius and she set up a search algorithm to look for any connections in a series of disappearing that plagued Starling City in the last week. So far the police had no luck finding any evidence or connections between men that were taken. That was when detective Lance let it slip to his daughter they could use some help. Some green help.

So here he was, looking at the screen in hope of figuring out what all those information meant, and coming up empty-handed.

Which left Oliver with only one option.

* * *

Felicity was in the restaurant, enjoying a delicious meal and good company, when her phone chimed. Usually she would let it go to voicemail during evenings like these, but she suspected the search she set up found something. Or she hoped anyway. Because the other option would just be plain cruelty.

He said there can never be anything more between them than friendship. He said because of the things he does be can't be with someone he cares about.

That happened just days after she caught the woman in charge of the company's branch in Russia exiting Oliver's hotel room that she had no business being in. The woman that took one look at Felicity and came to a conclusion she earned her position on her back. It's more likely that it happened the other way around, and Miss Rochev deluded herself into thinking all women got their promotions the way she had. Possibly to make herself feel better.

As much as it hurt Felicity tried her best to accept Oliver's choice and faulty logic behind it. Hence why she started to consent to these dinner invitations.

But it seemed she couldn't even have that.

Because the moment she answered the call she heard him briefly say, "Need you at the Foundry. I'm calling Diggle to pick you up." before he disconnected.

And Felicity sighed. And excused herself from dinner with a weak excuse. Cause frankly she was running out of good one.

Diggle arrived just minutes later and watched as the forlorn woman that always had a smile ready for her friends walked towards his car. She wore a bold red dress and high heels and was obviously in a middle of something when Oliver called.

A quick glance at the man she was with and his eyes widened. He recognized him instantly. How could he not?

But he remained quiet about it when Felicity sat in the passenger seat and buckled up. He waited for her to bring up the subject first.

She didn't.

* * *

Oliver was still leaning on the desk that housed the computer screens when the door at the back of the Foundry opened and Sara walked out of the bathroom, followed closely by a cloud of steam. Instantly he smiled at her before moving away from the machines and towards the woman.

Her still damp hair smelled like some sort of berries, an unusual choice that he never remembered her making before. Not that it mattered really, but it smelled really good.

"Got anything new?" Sara asked, watching Oliver approach her with a small smile on his face.

"We'll know more soon." He answered briefly, before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her deeply.

Only when the need for air couldn't be ignored anymore did they part, but still remained closely wrapped in each others arms.

"I hope not soon enough." She muttered before pulling him back for another kiss. And another. And another.

"You smell really good." Oliver eventually whispered before he nuzzled her damp hair, and then attacked the spot behind her ear with his lips.

Sara arched into his arms, her back rising from the mats they were lying on. Oliver knew her body well, knew what she liked and didn't like. And he knew exactly where to find that spot on her neck that would drove her crazy when he kissed it.

"Thank you." She moaned breathlessly, "But I prefer vanilla. This is just something Felicity left in the bathroom."

"Doesn't matter. Smells good." Oliver's voice was hoarse with passion that surged through him. The smell drove him crazy.

Neither Oliver nor Sara noticed the sound of Foundry door opening or the two pairs of footsteps coming down the metal staircase, despite one of them being high heels that always made a lot of noise. They were simply too caught up in themselves.

They completely missed the gasp that escaped Felicity's lips when she saw them half-dressed at the black mats. They missed the moment when her already broken heart shattered completely.

Diggle who stood next to her didn't.

But before he managed to say her name, to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, the blonde woman turned on her heel and marched right back up the stairs and into the nightclub upstairs.

"Not much of an emergency, it seems!" the older man snapped at the couple who managed to untangle themselves just in time to see Diggle leaving the Foundry.

"Damn it." Oliver muttered and looked around for his clothes.

He needed to get dressed and go upstairs. He needed to clear things up. Because if Diggle is here that means Felicity is here. And she didn't suppose to see him and Sara together, not like this. Not in the Foundry that has been their home away from home for months.

"Oliver…" Sara called him softly, noticing his frantic movements as he tried his best to get dressed as fast as possible.

He didn't respond. Just pulled on a shirt and rushed for the stairs.

And the he froze in the backroom, just outside of the entrance into the basement. Because her voice, the words that escaped her lips in between sobs, hurt more than all the wounds he received since getting stranded on the island.

That was Purgatory.

Hearing the pain in Felicity's voice was Hell.

"…how long it's been since I had a dinner with someone that didn't include talking about criminals, crime fighting and hacking into government servers?" Felicity's voice cracked as another sob escaped, "I had that tonight… and then I left because this second life I lead… I am tired Dig."

"Your dinner partner." Oliver could hear something in Diggle's voice, something he couldn't properly name, "It was Lucius Fox."

Blue eyes widened as he heard who it was that took Felicity to a nice dinner at a probably really fancy restaurant. After all the CEO of Wayne Enterprise would pick only the best. And there is no one better than Felicity Smoak.

"I have these dinner meetings at least once a month Diggle. Large corporations are sending people to try and sway me to quit QC and join them; they have been doing it since I started working in the IT department." Felecity's words surprised Oliver, he didn't know that. And he wondered if Walter knew.

"So why do you go?"

A sigh escaped Felicity's lips, sad blue eyes rimmed with red looked at her friend, before she responded in desolated tone, "Because that is as close as I'm going to get to a nice dinner with a great guy that is interested in me. I try not to think about actually them being interested in my skills and what I can do for their companies. And it's always in a fancy restaurant too."

When uncomfortable silence surrounded the steel and concrete of Verdant Oliver was ready to step out of the backroom and talk to Felicity, to explain, to apologize. To do anything and everything she deemed necessary to fix things.

Because he knew he managed to break this thing between them that he feared to give a name to. It was more than friendship, more than partnership.

And that worried him.

But not as much as the thought of her choosing not to return downstairs in the Foundry.

Oliver knew he was selfish, he always knew. And that he selfishly wanted Felicity in his life without giving her a good enough reason to stay.

"You never accepted any offers." Diggle finally spoke and from his spot at the doorway Oliver could see Felicity's face.

She wasn't looking in his direction, or in Diggle's. Instead she was focused on her red high heel shoes, her bottom lip between her teeth like many times when she was worried.

"So many things changed recently, and I failed to adapt." He could barely hear her voice but he didn't want to move closer, he didn't want to interrupt her, "Perhaps it's time I do."

"Adapt?" Diggle asked with a frown.

Felicity finally looked up at the older man and calmly said the words that caused a burning pain sensation in Oliver's heart, "Accept an offer."

"Felicity…" her name escaped his lips before he managed to stop himself. Instantly her eyes focused on him before she closed then and took a deep breath.

Diggle sensed the change in the air; it's been there for weeks but every time it was ignored. Although no more. And the former soldier knew that once they reached the crossroad it could make or break them; their team.

"We should all go back downstairs and focus. Felicity we need you-" he tried to act as a middleman between Oliver and Felicity, but his attempt was trumped when Sara walked in the club already dressed as the Canary and ready to go.

It was her voice that interrupted him and sealed the deal, "I checked the search results and have a possible location."

Three pairs of eyes looked at her but no one said anything. They all thought the same thing though. The computers were Felicity's area, her babies, and she didn't like anyone else touching them. Considering the amount of sensitive programs she 'borrowed' it was understandable. One wrong click and some law enforcement agency could figure out someone is in their system and the trail would lead them straight to the lair of a wanted vigilante.

The sound of heels clicking on the concrete made the focus on the blonde in a red dress instead. Felicity wasn't walking towards the basement; she was walking away, walking towards the exit.

"Felicity?" Diggle called her name before Oliver could.

"As you can see you do not need me. So I'm leaving."

"We have to go if we want to catch these guys." Sara pressed, "This thing will have to wait."

Oliver looked at Diggle, "Make sure she gets home safe."

There was something in Oliver's voice that made the older man frown before he shook his head. The kid was such an idiot sometimes and he deserved a swift kick in the ass.

"You're going out without backup so don't do anything stupid and get injured."

"I'm his backup." Sara pointed out, "He's not alone."

Oliver was already leaving the club dressed in green leather with a hood covering his face when Diggle caught up with Felicity who was walking in the direction of her home. He saw her trying to flag down a cab without success and saw her wave off some kid who slowed down and offered her a ride.

And the battle weary man sighed.

He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Oliver instantly knew something was wrong the moment he stepped out of the elevator at the executive floor of QC, but it was only after he entered his office did he noticed the difference. The files for today's meetings were on top of his desk in a neat pile and a steaming cup of coffee in a simple green mug was next to it.

Coffee. Felicity never brought him coffee. In fact she made it quite clear she never will.

Loudly.

He turned towards Diggle who observed the ceramic cup with interest too, but instead of amusement he saw worry in older man's eyes. Their eyes locked before Diggle turned towards the desk on the other side of the glass wall.

Oliver's face fell when he noticed it lacked it's usual decorations that never failed to make him smile. And by that he didn't mean the woman who usually sat behind it. Because Felicity wasn't a decoration for the office, no matter what some people thought.

She was his partner.

And today she wasn't there, and neither were the little knickknacks she kept on her desk or her personal tablet.

"Diggle…"

"Maybe you should try calling her." the older man said seriously, seeing his boss was close to freaking out.

Taking out his phone out of the suit pocket Oliver dialed Felicity's number but the call instantly got transferred to the voicemail. He tried again with the same result.

"She's not answering. She's always answering." He muttered, "Her phone is never more then five feet away."

"Maybe she's busy."

"Doing what? She's supposed to be here today, we have several meetings with investors throughout the day." Oliver snapped before marching to his desk and sitting down in the comfortable leather chair.

And only then did he notice a white envelope placed innocently by the computer keyboard.

Oliver wasn't sure what he was expecting to find in it, but this wasn't it. Written in simple legal terms was one thing he never thought he would have to read.

Felicity's resignation letter.

A curse escaped Oliver's lips before he stood up, ready to storm out of his office and go directly to her house demanding answers. But annoying beeping made him turn towards the computer screen that showed his calendar for today.

Felicity set up the reminders for today's meetings, meetings that were vital for the company and could not be postponed. Even his lunch break was booked, a possible investor wanted to speak to him about the new thing they were working on at the Applied Science Division. It was a meeting he expected Felicity to be present at, because she knew about it way more than he did.

"Oliver." Diggle called him when the persistent beeping stopped.

Blue eyes met brown and a simple two word sentence made the older man realize his feeling of impending doom was right, "She quit."

The hours never passed as slow, the time was like molasses that day, and Oliver was struggling with each passing minute not to just drop everything and drive to a small house just outside of Glades. But he knew that kind of lack of professionalism would be bad for the company. Instead he glanced at his watch too many times, looking rather rude in the presence of men that were ready to invest in his company, and hoped that a miracle would happen and Felicity would walk in the conference room, apologize for being late and sit on his left like she always did during meetings.

But today her seat remained empty.

The sun already started to set when he finally walked out of the building and entered the town car that was waiting for him.

"Where to?" Diggle asked seriously.

Oliver sighed, "Foundry. Just because she quit QC it does not necessarily mean she also quit Team Arrow."

Diggle remained quiet, not pointing out Oliver usually corrected people, mostly Felicity, when that particular name for their team was used. He also didn't voice his concern that it was all wishful thinking.

The babbling blonde won't be there.

Felicity left them for good.

The older man felt no satisfaction when he saw he was right. When only one blonde welcomed them when they entered the basement.

The wrong one.

"What's going on? I thought-" Sara started to speak but Oliver ignored her and instead dropped his suit on the metal gurney that sometimes served as an operating table for them before he grabbed a leather jacket off the back of a chair.

Sara looked at Diggle but he was focused on Oliver, watching the younger man move towards the back exit of the Foundry that led to the lot where his motorcycle was parked.

"Don't wait up." Was the last thing they heard from Oliver before the heavy metal doors closed with a bang.

"What's going on?" Sara repeated the question.

"Hopefully nothing that can't be fixed." Diggle answered with a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The house was dark, no light coming from the living room window. Usually Felicity kept at least a small lamp on a side table next to the sofa on. She always claimed it was to prevent her from tripping over something and breaking a leg when she returned home from work.

When his knocks on the front door remained unanswered Oliver reached for his phone only to remember he left it in the suit jacket back at the Foundry.

"Damn it." He muttered and knocked again. He wanted to call her name, he wanted to shout it in hope she would hear him and open the door.

Instead he went around the house and pried open the bathroom window she promised would be fixed.

The easy silence chilled him to the bone. He half expected to find her in the middle of the living room, unconscious, bleeding. Maybe killed by one of his numerous enemies who somehow learned Arrow's identity and went against him by harming one of his closest friends.

But Felicity wasn't there.

Still Oliver stood frozen, watching the large room, unable to accept what he was seeing.

Yet, there was no denying it.

The sofa, sidebar with the tv, comfortable chair in the corner… they were all covered with sheets. One of them even had a small floral pattern.

Oliver managed to drag his feet to the sofa in the center of the room before they gave up and he slumped down, the sheet shifting slightly under his weight.

Felicity covered her things to protect them from dust before she left.

And she was not coming back.

A whisper interrupted the heavy silence, broken voice muttered the only words his mouth could form, "I'm sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

**Season 4 is upon us. So is more angst in this chapter cause season 2 Oliver was kind of an idiot.**

* * *

Oliver didn't bother with a helmet, he rarely put it on. He preferred to feel the wind, despite how chilling it was, blowing in his face. It wasn't the safest thing to do, or legal for that matter, but he wasn't one to follow the rules.

Tonight he welcomed the bone freezing air as he drove through Glades back to Verdant, back to the Foundry where his team waited. Or what was left of it anyway.

He was now one person short and yet it felt like he lost a part of himself. The most crucial part.

He was in Felicity's home only once before this night and he remembered it as a warm place, a place where he would feel welcome day or night. Yet he never went to see her there, they preferred to meet at neutral territory of Big Belly Burger or at the Foundry.

Before it felt like he was intruding more then enough on her life, what with her helping the Arrow after working at QC for eight or more hours. He didn't want to take more of her time that he already did.

He told her then he couldn't be with someone he cares, he didn't want to put that person in danger.

He chose to start things again with Sara because didn't want Felicity to get hurt.

Now he realized he was the one who hurt her. He hurt her far too many times. And he couldn't blame her for leaving him, both sides of him.

One more sharp turn and Oliver parked his bike behind Verdant. It wasn't weekend so there was no crowd in front of the club; no one came around the building to check up what was going on and what the noise was.

The camera Felicity had Diggle set up so they could see what was going on at this entrance already announced his return to the two waiting downstairs but Oliver was in no rush to join them.

He knew what would await him.

Sara's readiness to deal with whatever was going on in the city, and hopefully there were some new information about the kidnappings; and Dig's face expression that would say more words then the man.

But he had no choice, he had to go in before on of them comes out thinking something was wrong. He couldn't postpone it any longer.

"We have a problem." was the first thing Oliver heard as he was walking down the metal staircase. He looked towards the table with the computer setup and saw Sara sitting in the chair in front of the screens, typing on the keyboard. It looked and sounded wrong.

As strange as it sounded he was used to the specific way Felicity typed, the fast way her fingers moved on the keys as she hacked into databases and hard drives.

"What do you got?" he tried not to think too much as he said those words.

Sara turned and looked at him, her expression serious, "One of the kidnapped men was found dead in an abandoned factory on the other side of the Glades. The police has no physical evidence but they tested his blood. There were no visible marks on his body and they probably presumed he was poisoned. It's worse."

"Worse than poison?" Oliver asked as he looked over her shoulder at the screen. There were some words there he couldn't even pronounce, but it appeared they meant something to Sara.

"I know this composition Olli. Not the whole of it, he never let me that close to his research."

A frown was Oliver's face as he observed he, he had a bad feeling about this, but he had to ask, "He?"

"Ivo. The foreign substance in the man's blood is trace of Mirakuru."

Diggle looked between two blondes, noticing the tension between them. There was something going on here, and is he was a type of a man that gambled he would have bet that this something was linked to the island and what happened there.

Felicity and he visited it briefly to get Oliver to return to Starling city after the Undertaking and it didn't seem like such a bad place, if you removed the near death experience with the landmine. But this was now.

Back then the island wasn't actually deserted. That much he managed to conclude from what little facts Oliver offered them about that time of his life. Some things were happening back then and they weren't nice.

"How much trouble are we talking about?" the former solder finally asked, interrupting the tense silence. He needed more facts. Needed to know what to prepare for.

Oliver remained quiet, ignoring the question. He was tense like the string of his bow, ready to snap at any moment. That alone served as the answer to Diggle, even without Sara clarifying.

"Basically… Mirakuru is supposed to create super solders." She shook her head and looked back at the screen, "We need more information. I can use the computer but I have my limits. Where is Felicity?" she glanced in Oliver's direction, "I thought you went to pick her up or something?"

Diggle crossed his arms over his chest. He knew, but still he asked, "She left?"

In a resolved voice, he never heard Oliver use before, the younger man confirmed, "She left."

"Damn, things are about to get a lot more complicated for us." Diggle mumbled, "We need a plan of action but to make one we need more information. And to get information…"

"I know." Oliver said, his voice calm and collected; not revealing the inner anguish that started to torture him the moment he stepped in Felicity's empty home.

The timing couldn't be worse, her gone just as the darkest part of his stay on the island came to haunt him. But no matter how hard it might become Oliver knew he won't contact her, won't call her and ask her to return to Starling city to help them. Perhaps it is better this way.

Away from him, away from the Arrow, she will be safe.

And that is what he wanted.

Right?

"I doubt we can find something new tonight." Oliver looked at Diggle as the older man started to leave, "So I'm going home. Lyla's due is in a week and I need to get back so she can grumble at me."

"I expected you would ask me about Mirakuru." He paused at the stairs when he heard Oliver's comment.

"Tomorrow. I think… it can wait another day. You don't have to face that too tonight."

* * *

Lyla didn't in any way acknowledge John walking in the living room of their place. She didn't want to give the young woman she was currently talking to a hint someone else was privy of their conversation.

It's strange how two of them, two completely different personalities, became friends so fast. They just clicked, like teens these days would say. And Lyla was grateful for this fact. With her line of work loyal friends were hard to find.

And Felicity Smaok was as loyal as they come, although some might question her loyalty to Oliver Queen now that the blonde IT left the company and the team. But not Lyla. She admired her bravery to leave it all behind and seek a new start in another city and another workplace.

"How can you tell after being there for just few hours?" she asked, and then grinned when the blonde on their other side of the videochat huffed.

" _Anyone with eyes can see how dark Gotham city is. Bleak… I need sunlight and colors. And absence of vigilantes as bosses."_

Diggle, who heard his friend's voice coming from the laptop speaker, leaned at the doorway to the kitchen and listened. Food can wait. He needed to know Felicity was alright. But upon hearing the last sentence he frowned.

Lyla did too, "What do you mean?"

Felicity rolled her eyes, _"Batman… there aren't many men in Gotham who match his general description and can afford all the toys he's using. Not toys like toys, but toys like gadgets. He has a batmobile and a batcave. He probably also has a batphone and a batpad and batwatch. Anyway, regarding the guy I can only name one possible person behind the rubber mask. And I'm not-"_

"I doubt you would get roped in to help." Lyla interrupted her.

" _I'm not taking any chances. I already told Lucius that upon closer examination I decided the job they offered me isn't for me."_

Their eyes locked and Diggle silently begged his wife to ask the question. He didn't have to voice it, she knew which one.

"Does that mean you care coming home?"

The silence that followed was heavy and Lyla regretted her decision. She could see the turmoil on Felicity's face. She desperately wanted to return, wanted things to be as they once were. But things changed.

Finally a sigh was heard through the speakers and the pregnant woman, who held the laptop on her belly, watched with a sad smile as her friend wiped a tear that escaped down her cheak.

" _I can't."_

"You can. It's been a day and-"

" _And that is why I can't come back."_ Felicity's voice was barely heard _, "I can't give up before I even tried. Gotham isn't right place for me but there are other places, other cities. I will find a home somewhere."_

"Do you want me to make some calls and-" a headshake stopped Lyla mid-sentence, "You want to do it yourself. I can understand that."

" _I need to do it myself. But thank you for offering. And if you ever need anything from me just call."_ Felicity then looked away from the screen, giving Lyla a perfect opportunity to focus on her eavesdropping husband. He was tense, she could see it in his posture, something must have happened tonight. Something other then Oliver realizing how drastic consequences a small choice might have.

"Johnny will be home soon." She finally spoke and regained Felicity's attention.

The blonde nodded _, "Okay, I need to get going anyway. When I realized this place isn't right for me I contacted a friend from MIT and he gave me a shove in another direction. He didn't actually shove me, we spoke over the phone, but he knows someone who is looking for a software programmer for some big project. So my next stop is Coast City. It's also hopefully my last stop. I don't know this Ray Palmer but I hope he doesn't have any heroic tendencies other then saving a puppy from being run over or something."_

Lyla laughed, "You didn't do a complete background check on the guy?" a glance in John's direction and they mutually decided they would do one.

" _I'm giving the guy a benefit of the doubt. I just home it wasn't a wrong choice. I am known for making few of those."_

"Helping Oliver was a mistake?" it was the first time that evening that particular name was mentioned and for a good reason. Lyla saw the blonde freezing instantly, pain flashing over her face before a mask Felicity perfected hid everything.

" _I need to go."_ She finally spoke, her voice void of all emotions, _"I have a train to catch. I'll talk to you later. Bye Lyla."_

The screen turned black before the pregnant woman managed to respond. She blinked in surprise, now seeing only her own reflection on the screen. A huff escaped her before she lifted her gaze to the man who was now approaching her.

"The boy messed up big time." Diggle took a seat next to her and placed a bottle of water on the coffee table, "And he knows it."

"The boy is lucky I can't move properly." Lyla was displeased.

* * *

Oliver entered the car silently, his mind miles away so he didn't notice the look Diggle was sending him via the rearview mirror. Nor did he notice when the older man shook his head. He was disappointed in his friend, but he knew this was the reality check Oliver needed. He spent too much time taking Felicity for granted.

Sure, he appreciated what she was able to do for them but Diggle felt the woman herself deserved more then what she got.

"What is Mirakuru?" he suddenly asked, causing Oliver to focus on here and now.

"It was supposed to be a cure for pretty much everything. A serum of some sort. A doctor named Anthony Ivo worked on it, tested it on prisoners. If it worked the men would become… superhumans, resistant on pathogens and poisons. And then they went insane. They raged and destroyed. Most of those who were given the serum died though."

Diggle was quiet for the rest of the ride to QC. He now received enough information and needed to process it. And it wasn't easy.

To think a human being could do such a thing to others. He was a solder, he knew there were monsters out there, but this doctor seemed worse then those he met so far.

Because he didn't do it for the good of others. Diggle refused to believe that. He did it for himself. To have his name memorized for all eternity. To be glorified as a savior or a great man who brought cure for many diseases to humanity.

"And he was the monster on the island." The older man finally spoke after stopping in front of the building.

Oliver reached to open the door and exit but paused. He nodded before adding, "One of few I faced there. Although Sara would describe him as a visionary that went around it the wrong way, rather than a monster."

"The girl's moral compass isn't pointing to North all the time. But there is nothing we can do about it. Could the doctor be behind the appearance of Mirakuru in Starling?"

"No." Oliver answered shortly, but he could see the answer wasn't enough for his partner. He glanced at the clock on the car dashboard and sighed, he was late again. But that wasn't anything new.

"Oliver."

"Slade killed Ivo." It was another unknown name to Diggle, but the man chose not to ask about it. The expression on Oliver's face was clear indication there was more to the story and it isn't pretty. But then again he doubted there were any happy stories about the island.

"And this Slade?"

"He is dead too." Oliver answered shortly and opened the back door. He paused enough to hear Diggle asking if he was sure about it before he clenched his hand and muttered, "I'm not sure about anything anymore."

Diggle watched his friend and boss enter the building before he went to park the town car in the company's parking lot. He briefly wondered if he should have mentioned the conversation he listened to last night between Lyla and Felicity but quickly decided to keep quiet about it.

He wasn't the one to take sides but in this case he was without a doubt in Felicity's corner. That girl had proved her worth time and time again. He trusted her with his life. Hell, he would gladly trust her with Lyla's too and their baby's. Although he hoped that would never be necessary. He didn't want his girls in any danger whatsoever.

Sara on the other hand was the unknown.

Apart from few bits and pieces he knew nothing about the girl and that didn't sit well with him. He was a solder, he liked to know who he was counting on to have his back.

Someone who was a member of the League of Assassins didn't seem like the safest option.

He preferred a babbling hacker with glasses behind a computer screen over a fighter in black leather. It may not be the best thing tactically, but he would rather have intel that would save their skin than another fighter.

* * *

After three days of peace they had proof it was just calm before the storm. And it was a big one.

Unusually calm night on the East side of the Glades was interrupted with police sirens and flashing blue and red lights as the police cars sped down the almost empty roads towards the deserted warehouse.

The call was made anonymously, a male voice informed the operator there are two dead men on the ground floor of the old furniture factory before hanging up. SCPD traced the call to one of few remaining payphones in the area around the factory but they had no luck with getting anything about the caller. There were no security cameras anywhere near it.

Probably why the man used that particular place to make the call.

Oliver, who heard about the incident thanks to the police radio Felicity installed in the Foundry, was pacing behind the computer chair. It was currently occupied by a blonde, but the wrong blonde. Sara was typing on the computer, trying to get into surveillance cameras anywhere in the area but without success. She was good but she just wasn't good enough.

"Damn it." He heard her mutter under her breath again as she was denied access.

Oliver was itching to go out in the city and do something, hit something. He was restless and it probably drove the woman in the chair crazy but she didn't say anything.

In a brief moment Oliver thought how Felicity would have already told him off for pacing and constantly glancing over her shoulder. But the very though of her hurt him, and Oliver knew he couldn't blame anyone else for that pain but himself. But that was alright. He could handle the pain if it meant she was safe.

His cell phone started to ring, interrupting the tense silence. Oliver frowned seeing his sister's name and photo on the screen. As far as he knew Thea was out with her boyfriend from the Glades. He didn't exactly approved of the kid, but he was slightly better pick than some of the guys he saw his sister hang out with.

"Hallo." He answered the call and was instantly overwhelmed with his sister's hysterical voice.

" _They got him Ollie! They got Roy!"_ a sob escaped Thea's lips and Oliver's hand that wasn't holding the phone clinched, someone made his sister upset. Someone will pay.

"Tell me what happened. Tell me where you are." He instructed before waving to get Sara's attention. Once the blonde looked at him he mouthed 'call Diggle'.

" _We were arguing, it was stupid. I was stupid. I offered to… it doesn't matter. I was basically flouncing my money and he didn't appreciate it. He was walking away and the van stopped at the curb. It was black and had doors at the side. And then the door opened and some guy just grabbed Roy and pulled him in. He pulled him in like Roy weighted nothing! Oliver!"_

"Tell me where this happened." Oliver demanded, "I'm sending Diggle to get you so don't move."

" _It's on the crossing of twenty-sixth and main. Oliver, what are we going to do?"_

Oliver knew what he was going to do, but he couldn't exactly tell his sister the truth. He couldn't just tell Thea he was going to put on green leather outfit with a good and hunt down whoever took her boyfriend. Cause her words, her description, told him more then she knew.

Roy Harper wasn't some scrawny kid, so for a single person to get him into the back of the van and subdue him to ensure he doesn't get away… that requires more strength then the average person possess.

That requires Mirakuru.

"I'll get in contact with Lance. You will go home and stay there. And don't argue with me, I know that is exactly what you were about to do Speedy. I need you to be safe, alright?"

A timid voice on the other side muttered a quiet, _"Alright."_

Sara mouthed 'two minutes' to Oliver and he relayed, "Diggle will be there in two minutes. Just stay tight. He'll get you home."

" _Are you coming too?"_

"As soon as I can."

Once Thea disconnected the call Oliver turned towards Sara. She was back at trying to get into traffic cameras but he needed different information right now. These guys preferred empty warehouses, and Starling had an abundance of those. So there was no need to look far from the place they took Roy from to find what they need.

"Get me locations of empty warehouses in the area around twenty-sixth and main. I'm suiting up and going after the guys that took Roy."

"I'll need few minutes." Sara said before switching tabs to get the information Oliver needed from the city map. But when he returned, now dressed in his Arrow suit, she still didn't have any info for him.

"Sara."

He only called her name when she snapped at him, "I know! But I can't do it faster, I'm not Felicity."

She didn't hear him mutter, "Obviously." as he was walking towards the exit. Only when he called to inform her he's heading out towards the area on the motorcycle and she can rely him the addresses via the comm links.

Oliver was just leaving the parking lot behind Verdant when his comm. came to life and he heard Sara's voice in his ear. She found three possibly locations. Quickly they decided to split them in between them. He was already driving towards the first one when she exited the Foundry in her Canary outfit, ready to check out the second location.

They both hoped they wouldn't be too late.

And Oliver honestly thought they were. Because when he entered the third warehouse Sara mentioned as a possible location for whomever was messing around with Mirakuru he found a kid in a red hoodie lying motionless on the concrete floor.

He hoped Roy was merely unconscious or something. They didn't need to lose another person she cared about. And as much at it annoyed him to admit it his little sister cared about this guy quite a bit, judging by the looks she always sent his way.

He would never admit it out loud but Oliver knew he sent those kind of looks in Felicity's direction when no one was looking.

It was the first time in months that Oliver was caught unprepared. He just leaned down to check Roy's pulse when the kid's eyes suddenly snapped open, startling him momentarily. But not as much as the sudden attack.

Roy was like a raging bull, going after the vigilante he admired. Because tonight he didn't see the Arrow in front of him. He just saw a target.

Mirakuru was making him blind and deaf to all reasoning, and it forced Oliver to improvise. To use tricks and all his experience as a fighter. And it was still not enough. Because the kid had brute strength on his side. And before he knew it Oliver was on his back and fighting to prevent his sister's boyfriend from strangling him or breaking his neck. Either way it didn't look good for him.

Fortunately for him after the search of the first warehouse proved to be a bust Sara decided to join him in the third one, and she informed Diggle of their location on her way to it. Together the Canary and the ex-solder managed to pull a raging teen off Oliver.

But Roy wasn't giving up so easily. He thought back against them. He punched Dig, would have knocked the older man out if he didn't noticed the blow coming his way and moved mostly out of the way.

Sara instantly reacted and put him in chokehold using her bo staff. Being smaller and nimbler she managed to evade Roy's hands as he tried to grab her and free himself.

It took more time then usual for him to finally loose consciousness, and he would without a doubt regain it faster then a regular human would. That is why Sara reached to kill him, to break his neck before he woke up and attacked them again. There was no known cure for Mirakuru. That left them with no choice.

The kid was Thea's boyfriend but he was also danger to society.

"No." Oliver groaned. He didn't raise his voice, didn't snap at her. But the way he said it left no room for discussion. The kid is not to be harmed.

Sara silently nodded.

* * *

Roy was bound to the medical table they used in the Foundry for emergencies and Diggle used his limited but vital knowledge to get a blood sample from him. He and Oliver agreed getting Weller involved was a necessary evil in this case. After all ARGUS had laboratories and scientists and they could hopefully synthesize a cure now that they had a large enough sample of Mirakuru.

The downside was ARGUS would have the serum to create more superhumans. The two men hoped Weller won't be arrogant enough to think Mirakuru solders were something she could easily command. They relied on the fact she was smart enough to get to the position she was on, she won't be stupid enough to risk it for an experiment that was bound to fail from the start.

"I was ready to kill him." Sara spoke, eyeing the prone figure on the metal gurney.

"We don't kill." Oliver responded shortly before leaving to change. He muttered earlier about needed to go somewhere. She presumed he meant to see Thea.

A strange look Diggle sent his way made her think the older man had something else in mind.

Sara nodded before sitting on the chair in front of the computers. It was an uncomfortable place to be, constantly staring at the screens, at the images and words. Exhausting, sometimes even more then physical exercise.

She vaguely heard Diggle saying he was going to deliver the package with the blood to a contact in ARGUS when she spoke, making his pause just as he was about to step on the first stair.

"We don't kill but I am a killer. That's not what Oliver needs. He needs someone to bring out the good in him."

Diggle remained quiet. He didn't speak, didn't saw the point of it. He knew very well Oliver had someone like that in his life. And with Sara's help he managed to chase her away.

Oliver knew that too.

Knew it when he once more entered Felicity's townhouse through the bathroom window. It was as silent as the last time, his footsteps the only proof of life.

This time stepping into the living room served as an even bigger reminder of the choices he made. Of his desire to keep Felicity safe that ultimately resulted in her leaving. All around him was proof it wasn't just a passing thing, a vacation she took to get away from Starling city for few days.

She was gone.

And the things that resided in the house last time he was here were now gone too. The room was bare and the walls freshly painted sterile while. There was no personality in it, no warmth.

Oliver sat down on the cold hardwood floor and took out his cell phone. He knew he wasn't going to do it, wasn't going to call her, no mater how badly he wanted to hear her voice.

He just chose her name on the list of contacts and stared at the photo he had of her until the screen went dark.

He never told her.

Now her picture and the empty house will be the only one who heard his words.

"I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver sighed and closed his eyes. It was early, far too early in the morning, and the quiet hum of the computers served as a perfect background noise to doze off.

The previous days events still swirled in his mind, made it impossible for him to rest properly though. That is why he only slept for an hour on the oddly comfortable cot in the far corner of the Foundry. First the meeting with the board, during which he tried his best to stay focused on what was being said and not on the empty chair on his left where she used to sit. But staying focused on everything else but the absence of what sometimes seems to be the only bright thing about his days as the CEO became impossible once Oliver was behind the desk in his office.

From his chair he had a perfect look of still empty spot where his Executive assistant supposed to sit.

Someone in the HR department lined up several qualified candidates for the position, but Oliver was in no rush to fill it in. After all no matter whom he picks the person won't be her. That was why the files sat untouched on the corner of the desk, collecting dust.

And after the grueling day at QC he arrived at the Foundry and became the Arrow. And his day went from bad to worse.

Slowly Oliver opened his eyes and leaned forward in the computer chair, his elbows on his knees and his face hidden my his palms.

The phone call from Thea frightened him, he was so worried something happened to his sister. But instead it was her boyfriend. He pondered for a second if he should inform her that Roy was safe and alive but instantly decided against it. He knew Thea, she would want to see Roy and right now that was not an option.

He didn't want his little sister anywhere hear her Mirakuru crazed boyfriend, not even when he is sedated and tied to the metal table they used for medical emergencies. There was no guarantee the bonds will hold against the increased strength the miracle cure gave those who received it, and it was only a matter of time before the young man awakens. No, having Thea near Roy right now was not an option.

The cell phone on the desk beeped and Oliver picked it up to see what was going on. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was a message from Diggle. He was informing Oliver the blood sample they took from Roy once they got the youth in the Foundry was successfully delivered to ARGUS facility, and the lab rats that worked there will start working on the cure right away.

Oliver had his doubts about handing ARGUS something as dangerous as Mirakuru, but the two men agreed they were their best option. Dig knew Oliver wasn't comfortable with the fact Weller would have access to something so dangerous, but neither believed she would be stupid enough to try and mess with Mirakuru. Some things were better left at peace, and a substance that either killed or turned men into rage filled killers was at the top of that list.

Moments later a second message arrived and for the first time since she left his life Oliver smiled, not the fake smile he offered with the words 'I am fine', but a genuine smile.

Diggle informed him he was on his way to the Foundry, but needed to stop at his place first and get food. Lyla's orders.

She was no culinary genius, but lately Lyla has been cooking enough food to feed the army. She's calling it nesting. Dig's been calling it fattening. But that didn't stop him from eating everything she serves him. Although as the result of it Dig insists on daily sparing sessions at the Foundry, and they last at least an hour longer then before.

That was more then likely another reason why Oliver felt so tired lately. Drained, like his batteries are empty.

Still, extra workout was good for him, for them, now that they no longer had someone waiting for them in the Foundry, behind the computer screens, guiding them in the right direction and warning them of dangers ahead. Felicity's absence affected them in so many ways.

But in Oliver's case that effect was both professional and private. He didn't just depend on Felicity Smoak to help him be as good of a CEO as he could be considering he never got that degree his father wanted him to get before he inherited the family business. She wasn't just someone who helped the Arrow.

She was so much more. More then she knew, more then he ever dared to admit, even to himself. That it until it was too late and she way gone.

Oliver knew he was a selfish man, he was raised that way, led to believe he could have anything just cause he was a Queen. That is what got him in some serious messes in the past, most spectacular one of course being when he invited Sara on the yacht. That decision cost him the woman he cared for in his own strange way.

By some twisted turn of events hooking up with Sara once more cost him yet another woman that was important to him. And he didn't even love Sara like that, she was dear to him but he didn't feel for her like he felt for...

Rattling came from the direction of the medical table and Oliver instantly stood up. Roy was waking up. He was hoping the young man wold remain under the influence of the sedative for a while longer, at least until Diggle got back. Because Oliver wasn't under the delusion that he could stop Roy if he was still under Mirakuru influenced rage.

He could perhaps stop Roy by killing him, but then he could never look his sister in the eyes again. Thea counted on him, she believed in him. And he would not let her down, ever. He would do everything he can, even rely on Weller, to ensure Roy comes back to her safe and sound.

That didn't mean he liked the fact Thea was dating this punk from Glades. In his eyes no one was good enough for his baby sister.

Roy tried to move, tried to run his hands over his face, but for some reason he could not move them. And that didn't sit will with him. He wasn't someone who panicked easily but being restrained on some metal feeling desk was a good enough reason to freak out. Instantly his mind went into overdrive and few dozen worst-case scenarios popped up cause the last thing he remembered was being dragged into a back of a van.

He hoped Thea was alright, she was there as well after all.

He also hoped he wasn't about to be the latest victim of some organ harvesters.

The sound of footsteps made him turn his head and look to the right where the last person he expected to see was slowly approaching him. Oliver Queen, Thea's older brother.

"Look man, if you had me kidnapped to inform me I'm not good enough for your sister may I just say I agree with you. Thea is so way out of my league. But I care for her and for some reason she sees me worthy of her presence. So-"

"It wasn't me who kidnapped you. Nor did I paid someone to do my dirty work. If I wanted you to stay away from my sister I would have told you that the moment I realized you two were dating." Oliver stepped few feet away from the medical table, just in case, "Now, how are you feeling?"

Roy watched the older man suspiciously, not knowing what to think. Queen was telling him one thing but the actions speak louder than words as they say. And he was currently tied up on a table.

"Where am I and what is going on?" Roy finally asked before glancing around the area. Eventually his eyes fell on the glass case with neatly displayed arrows and behind it a mannequin with a famous, or infamous depending on who you're asking, green leather outfit on it. After staring at the Arrow's suit for few moments he finally looked back at Oliver who watched him silently.

"Not who you were expecting under the hood?" Oliver didn't manage to prevent amusement from being heard in his voice at the sight of the kid in red hoodie staring at him in awe.

Roy merely shook his head before repeating his question, now more then before curious what the hell was going on, "What's going on? Last thing I remember was being kidnapped and Thea calling my name. Is Thea alright? Where is she?"

"She is fine." Oliver tried to calm him down, "She's home waiting on news about you. But you can't see her, not yet."

"Why the hell not? What happened?" Roy was getting agitated.

"You were infected with a dangerous substance. And that made you dangerous too, to others and to yourself." it was a lousy explanation and Roy was frowning the whole time, but before he managed to say something Oliver asked, "How are you feeling? Any homicidal urges?"

It was an odd question and Roy wasn't sure if he should take it seriously. Still he answered, "I'm feeling fine; no actual homicidal urges, would kill for a burger right now though."

Instantly, like he was eavesdropping on the conversation, Diggle made his way down the metal stairs. In his hand was a large paper bag and whatever was in it smelled delicious.

He greeted Oliver before focusing on Roy, "You okay, kid?"

Instead of answering Roy looked from one man to the other before asking, "Is there some mind reading thing going on here? Is that how the Arrow knows what is going on before the cops do?"

"No." Oliver answered sharply before taking a second to calm down and elaborate, "We simply had a better computer expert than the police."

Roy didn't understand what just happened, but Diggle did. And he just observed Oliver silently as he moved towards the computer chair to retrieve his leather jacket. Glancing down on his watch he saw it was now an hour before Oliver had to be at QC for the early morning meeting with the potential investors.

"I would drive you, but we agreed one of us should stay down here."

Oliver simply waved him off, "I'll drive myself today, no problem. Have just enough time to get home and change."

Something wrapped in aluminum foil was pushed in his hand and he looked up to see Diggle shrugging, "Breakfast burrito, eat it. Lyla's order."

Roy waited until Oliver left the Foundry before asking, "Did I do something that piss him off?"

"Nah." Diggle shook his head before eying Roy carefully, "Can I trust you not to freak out and attack me if I release you?"

"What?" the younger man was completely taken aback by the question.

Dig rolled his eyes, "Figures he didn't tell you what was going on."

"He only said I was infected with something that made me dangerous. No details whatsoever."

Roy patiently waited as Dig removed the bonds, like the ones used for restraining patients in the hospitals, from his wrists before sitting up slowly, not wanting to make any sudden moves and make the older man change his mind regarding him.

"Here." Dig took another tightly wrapped burrito from the paper bag and offered Roy, before placing a water bottle next to him, "I'm John Diggle by the way, you can call me Dig."

"I've seen you around Queen before, you're his bodyguard, right?" Roy asked before taking a big bite of his breakfast. Instantly he moaned and then ignored the laugh from the older man. He was aware he was giving Dig some good teasing material, but he couldn't get himself to care. The food was just that good.

"Right." Diggle finally said, before turning serious and focusing on the more important matters, "Can you tell me what happened? Any details you remember from your kidnapping."

Roy shrugged, "It happened way too fast. The guy just grabbed me and pulled me in the back of the van. It was like I was as light as a feather, he didn't look like he was straining."

"Damn." Diggle muttered instantly. It seemed Roy wasn't the only one who now had Mirakuru in his veins and that worried him. One does not go through all this trouble to recreate something like the miracle cure and infecting random men just for kicks. Whatever is going on in Starling city right now... it's not good.

"There were at least two other people in the van. The driver and the guy on the passenger's seat. No idea how he driver looks like, cause he was turned away, but the other guy had an eye patch." Roy paused to take another bite of the burrito before focusing back on Diggle, "The guy who pulled me in injected something in my neck and I blacked out. Man, I hate needles." he muttered under his breath before reaching for the small injection mark on his throat.

Dig wondered if they were ever going to catch a break. It seems everything has been going downhill in the past couple of days, and it started with the random kidnappings. Considering the police identified the dead bodies as the missing men and the unknown substance found in their blood seems to be Mirakuru it's not hard to conclude Roy was merely yet another guinea pig for whomever was pulling the strings.

But the difference in the MO worried the retired soldier. It was still daylight when Roy was taken and it happened in the middle of a busy street. He didn't like jumping to conclusion, especially when he knew so little about what they were dealing with, but he's gut feeling saved his life a few times in the past. And right now it was telling him Roy wasn't random victim.

"Have you seen anything suspicious in the past few days? Someone following you or maybe noticed the van before they grabbed you?"

Roy shook his head, "No, sorry."

Diggle turned towards the computers and sighed. Damn, it would have been good if Felicity was still around. She would need 30 seconds to get into street cameras and they would get the image of the van and the license plate soon after. The girl was just that good. The girl was also fed up with Oliver's bullshit and Diggle couldn't blame her for giving up on him and leaving.

But he missed the little ray of sunshine she would bring with her to the Foundry.

Lyla talked to her few times, but didn't share any details with him, apart from that conversation he literally walked in on. It was the only reason he knew Felicity wasn't in Gotham. It was a good choice in his opinion, she was far too bright for that dark city.

"You like the food?" he finally asked after seeing Roy finished his burrito and was reaching for the water bottle.

The young man nodded before taking a swing. Oliver said Mirakuru caused insanity but this kid looked perfectly fine to him. Yes, he tried to kill Oliver last night but if he was being honest he sometimes had the urge to strangle the billionaire too. Like few nights ago when he was fooling around with Sara on the mats.

"Where did you got them?" Roy's question brought Diggle back from his musing, "I don't think anyone could make a better burrito. They are like from a four star restaurant, if those actually served burritos."

"My wife made them, she's been cooking a lot lately."

"You must be working out a lot then. Cause if I ate food like this all the time I would be huge. I'm an expert in simpler stuff though, and Thea can't even fry eggs."

Diggle wasn't at all surprised to hear that about the young heiress, he seriously doubted Oliver way any better. Before he ended on Lian Yu anyway, being stranded on an isolated island forces a person to adapt and learn new skills.

He focused on the kid in the red hoodie, the item he saw Roy wearing every single time he had seen him in Thea's company, and noticed he watched the restrains suspiciously. He wasn't planing on restraining the kid again unless absolutely necessary. The bad part was he might not know that it was necessary until it was too late and this Glades punk kicked his ass.

But for now he looked normal. And Diggle decided to mess with him just cause he could.

"I feel obligated to inform you never to mention my wife and the word 'huge' in the same sentence." Roy's eyes widened in fear before Dig continued, "Cause if she finds out she will kill us both."

The younger man snorted, glad he wasn't in any kind of trouble, and it didn't look like he was being tied up again. He just wished they would finally tell him the whole story, and why the restrains were necessary in the first place. But before he managed to ask the sound of metal doors being slammed echoed through the large room before they heard someone running down the metal stairs.

Roy was shocked to see it was a cute blonde. She looked familiar but he couldn't really place her.

She completely ignored him and instead focused on Diggle, "Where is Oliver?"

"He went to QC. What is going on?"

Sara muttered a curse under her breath, before she finally noticed Roy watching her with interest. Instead of addressing him directly she once more questioned Diggle, "Does Oliver know you released the kid?"

"Yes. Now what is going on?" Diggle could see she was agitated, and combined with a curse in what he was pretty certain was Arabic, he knew it was nothing good. It never was when someone ran in the Foundry.

"One of us needs to get to Oliver right now. He needs to know, needs to be warned. Dig, I saw Slade entering a car in front of a restaurant not 15 minutes ago. I tried to follow him but I lost the sight of the vehicle."

"Slade?"

Sara's answer was the last thing Diggle wanted to hear, "He was on the island, he was infected with Mirakuru. And he blames Oliver for the death of the woman he loved."

* * *

The meeting was progressing pretty much as expected, the board members were explaining to the potential investor why QC Applied Science Division was the right place for them to invest in and what to expect in the future from the bright researchers that worked for the company. Most of the time Oliver felt like window dressing; like he was only there for show.

The investor was pretty impressed with what was presented to him and wanted to discuss the numbers. Oliver saw it as an opportunity to get involved more in the conversation, he read and reread the financial report so many times he knew it by heart. It was all good news and it made him happy.

Not the money they would make, but the success of the company. He had seen it as proof he wasn't a complete failure in the business world, something that worried him since he took over the mantle of CEO from Walter. The fact the tabloids just waited for him to fail felt like another victory.

Queen Consolidated was going as good as ever.

He just wished his private life was in as good condition as his professional.

Twenty minutes later they had another investor and a business plan for the next five years.

Oliver ignored the still empty desk in front of his office and instead walked right in, expecting to see the room empty. It wasn't.

Standing in front of the large wall of windows was his mother, dressed in a professional white suit. She looked calm, but the tension in her posture told otherwise.

Seeing his mother in the office reminded Oliver of one particular night when they were both in this same room. Only his mother was the one behind the desk and he was dressed in his leather, with a hood hiding his face, pointing an arrow at her. It was the night she shoot him.

It was the night Felicity learned the truth and joined his crusade.

What Oliver didn't know was Moira was thinking about the exactly same thing. About the night the Hood came to see her, informed her she had failed the city. He was right, she did. And she had failed him as well.

"Mother, what brings you to QC?" Oliver asked, startling Moira who didn't hear him come in. She turned around and looked at him, really looked at him, and smiled.

"You have changed so much. And I failed to truly see the difference."

A frown appeared on Oliver's face and he moved to sit on one of the leather armchairs he had in the office for when he receives visitors.

"Is everything alright?" he eventually asked.

Moira quietly sat apposite of him and smiled sadly. She looked away towards the glass for a moment before focusing again on her son, "Around a year ago a vigilante crashed through the window in this office and confronted me. And I shot him. Today I learned how close I was to losing you that night."

Oliver tried and failed to keep the shock at her words of his face. She knew, his mother knew.

"How? Who told you?"

"He joined me for breakfast today, just appeared in the restaurant and joined me at the table. Good thing your sister was late, I do not want him anywhere near Thea." Moira was rattled by the encounter and it was starting to show just how much.

"Who was it?" Oliver tried to remain calm, but he already planed to talk to Dig and get protection for his mother and sister.

"I do not know his name, he didn't introduced himself. He was in his forties, I believe, in a good shape. Black hair, has an eye patch on the right eye." that particular information made Oliver frown, since he only knew one person who could identify him as the vigilante and had injured right eye. It was injured when Oliver himself sent an arrow through it, killing his former ally.

"Did he said anything to you? Anything apart of revealing that particular detail about me?"

Moira nodded before slowly answering, "He aid he was your old friend from the island."

"No." Oliver muttered as he stood up, "That's not possible. He's dead."

Moira chose to ignore his words and instead focused on another matter, "I am sorry Oliver, for the things I have done in the past. Your father and I made so many wrong choices, and the worst of them caused you to get stranded on that devilish place. You came back a changed man, and I failed to see it. I still saw the same boy that left on Queen's Gambit. Or maybe I chose not to see it."

"Mother-"

"I am proud of you. Of the man you have become. It doesn't matter if it's Oliver I am talking about or the Hood. You have done so much since returning to Starling City."

"I killed." he pointed out.

"You saved." Moira argued back, "I was the one who participated in the destruction and I was ready to pay for it. I still don't understand what happened on that trial."

"They should have found you guilty." Oliver was painfully honest, but Moira didn't seem to mind. She merely nodded, agreeing with him. They should have, but for some reason the jury set her free.

Her only punishment was 1000 hours of social work, and she had already started to work in the woman's shelter in the Glades. And after an hour in the company of those women who were brave enough to escape abusive husbands she chose to continue helping.

Mother and son let the silence surround them as they considered the most recent events. Oliver knew he needed to get to the Foundry as soon as possible, but he was responsibilities he could not ignore. There was still another meeting before lunch and he couldn't miss it.

But at the same time the very thought that 'he' might be alive and in Starling city made Oliver doubt he could concentrate on project development.

A knock on the open glass door made them both turn towards the entry. There at the doorway stood Diggle, and while to Moira he looked as calm as always Oliver knew his friend and partner a whole lot better.

"Sorry to bother you Mr. Queen, but an urgent matter requires your attention." since he was in the presence of the Queen matriarch Diggle acted as professional as expected from a bodyguard.

"Is it about the man from the island?" Moira asked Oliver the moment she saw him turn towards her, not giving him the opportunity to excuse himself and leave.

Oliver turned towards Dig and nodded slightly, giving the older man permission to answer the question. He will discuss with Diggle what happened with his mother, and how she came to learn his secret later.

"We have confirmation. It's Slade."

Oliver's mind froze for a moment. He had a hard time processing this information. But at the same time the more recent events started to make sense. The reappearance of Mirakuru, now in the veins of Roy Harper and who knows how many more men.

This was bad. It was really bad. And they were flying blind. Without Felicity's help they will have a hell of a task in front of them. The more selfish part of him wanted to contact her, ask her to come back so she could help track Slade and bring him down.

The other part wanted her as far away from his former friend as possible. Because if Slade ever learned how much Felicity meant to him he would not hesitate to use her in some way.

"Go." Moira finally spoke and Oliver turned to look at his mother, "I will cover for... as long as you need. Do what you must just be careful. Oh, Oliver..." he turned around and saw his mother's confused expression, "Where is your EA?"

"She's gone." he answered briefly and walked out. Moira noticed the sadness that entered her son's eyes, as well as the small head shake Mr. Diggle made. She had a feeling she was missing something.

* * *

Oliver's mind was going a thousand miles an hour, while the car he was in moved at fifty. Dig was silent in the driver's seat and he appreciated it.

And while his friend may think Oliver's mind was focused solemnly at the reappearance of the man from the island the truth was it was focused on someone completely different. His mother's innocent question caused Oliver to once more rethink every single decision he had made in the past months.

He wanted to ask Diggle if he heard from Felicity, if he knew where she was and how she was doing. But he was afraid of what the answer might be.

The car stopped at the red light for those who were in the right lane, while it was green for those who were turning left at the intersection. Still, a car stopped on their left and the backseat window rolled down to reveal the person sitting there.

Blue eyes widened as the face he had not seen in years suddenly became visible again, and Oliver was returned to the moment he was forced to kill his friend.

He hoped it was a mistake. He hoped it was just someone who looked like Slade. But seeing him there Oliver had to admit to himself his long buried past came to Starling city to haunt him.

Before he could say anything to Diggle the car on his left started to drive off and turned by the time Oliver informed his friend what was going on the lights changed and they couldn't go left without risking being hit by a semi that was driving through the intersection.

Slade was taunting him. He evaded him.

This time.

* * *

"I want to help." Roy's voice was heard loud and clear as the three members of Team Arrow, although they didn't called it that, were discussing what to do about Slade.

"Absolutely not." was Sara's short answer that caused the younger man in the red hoodie to scowl.

Oliver ignored the glared they were sending each other and instead tried to figure out how to track Slade down. Using street cameras was out of the question, none of them had the knowledge required to hack into the system and pull out the surveillance videos. They couldn't follow the path of the car and find out where Slade was coming from or going to.

Oliver leaned on the computer desk and closed his eyes. He wanted to throw something, hit something. Break something. He wanted to shout, to curse.

Felicity was part of the team, a vital part of it, before she even knew she was a part of it. He relied on her for months before she even knew all aspects of who he was.

And now she was gone and he felt so helpless. And he hated it. He felt like...

He felt as helpless as the day Ivo made him chose.

That day he lost someone too. Someone close to him, someone he cared for and someone who cared for him. Shado taught him to kill.

Felicity taught him there was another way.

And then he made another choice. A month ago he made a choice to start things again with Sara after telling Felicity he could never be with someone he cared for.

"Oliver!" Dig's voice calling his name made him snap out of his dark thought only to see three pairs of eyes watching him curiously.

"What?"

"I was pointing out that Roy helping us won't necessarily be a bad thing."

"Mirakuru in his system makes him unpredictable." Sara pointed out, "He is basically a walking time bomb."

"I am right here." Roy reminded the blonde woman, "And I want to help. Those guys took me. They infected me with this... stuff. I want to help stopping them so they don't do this to anyone else."

"We don't know how much Mirakuru he has. For all we know he spent it all." Sara wasn't giving up, "We already know five men before Roy were taken. One of them was found head in the warehouse. That leaves us with four unaccounted for. Oliver, there were only six remaining doses of Mirakuru on Lian Yu."

"And I was certain I destroyed it all." he growled before staring to pace the Foundry, "So if Slade wants more he will have to produce it himself somehow. What would he need for that?"

"I don't know." Sara shrugged.

"You were with Ivo for a year before we met again on the island. How could you not know?"

"I wasn't that close to the man." she pointed out, "He didn't trust me and I didn't trust him."

"You trusted him enough to sell me out to him." Oliver muttered under his breath. Since he was far away from Sara she didn't hear his comment. Diggle on the other hand did and he suddenly stood straighter.

"Look, Lyla is close to due date. I can't be at two places at the same time."

Oliver looked at his friend and nodded, "You are right. And since we don't know how long it will last until we figure out Slade's endgame and stop him... We could use some extra help since we can't rely on you being there. Those we love should always come first."

"You should live what you preach, man." Diggle pointed out, his arms crossed over his chest.

Oliver sighed. He knew what his friend meant.

Roy on the other hand didn't. So he whispered, "What?" to Sara who merely shook her head. So when he didn't get the answer to that question he turned towards Oliver instead, "Does that mean I can help?"

"I need you to understand something first." Oliver was dead serious as he spoke to Roy, "The Mirakuru in your system will make you stronger, but you will need to learn how to harness that strength safely. I have seen those who are under the Mirakuru suddenly become so enraged they lost complete control over themselves, and I do not want that to happen to you. I do not want to see you hurt yourself or anyone else. So if you want to help you better be ready to train."

"Okay." Roy said eagerly.

"And it won't go easy on you."

"Still okay."

That night, after spending few hours going though basic exercise for enhancing and focusing muscle strength with Roy, also known as slapping the bowl of water, Oliver informed the younger man he is required to stay at the Foundry for the time being.

Roy wasn't all too happy with it, he felt like a prisoner, but he also knew Oliver wasn't doing it just to spite him or to keep him away from his younger sister.

Mirakuru made him violate at moments, he realized that when he went to punch the bowl of water but instead punched through the wooden desk. The very thought that he might lost control like that around Thea scared him.

He loved her, he didn't want to endanger her. So if that meant he would keep away from her till there is a cure, and Oliver said some secret organization he never heard about before was working on it, he would keep his distance from his girlfriend.

And by keeping his distance he meant remain missing.

"I'll be back in an hour." Oliver said on his way out of the Foundry, "I'll bring food."

"No need to get me anything. I'm off, Lyla is waiting for me." Diggle said as he was putting on his leather jacket and getting ready to leave.

"Me neither." Sara didn't turned away from the computer screen in front of her as she spoke. It was something that reminded him so much of Felicity, and served as yet another reminded of how much he messed up and how much he missed her.

"You're not staying in the Foundry?" he asked her.

Sara shook her head before turning in the chair to look at him. He could see something in her eyes, something he couldn't quite identify despite knowing her for years.

"I'll stay with my dad instead."

Oliver just nodded and walked away. He didn't question her decision, didn't ask her to stay.

They haven't talked about the thing that was going on between them but it was obvious to both of them it was over. It shouldn't have started in the first place.

* * *

That night he didn't enter Felicity's home. It wasn't her home anymore anyway.

The lights were on in the small cozy townhouse and he could see figures moving inside. He could see two adults and a child going forward with their lives not knowing a man was sitting on the motorcycle on the other side of the street that watched them like a stalker.

A man that thought about his decisions and regretted them.

He was glad she was away cause it meant she was safe but still he wished she would come home.


	4. Chapter 4

**It's a slightly shorter chapter, due to a fact I had to cut it or be stuck with a too long one with too many things happening in it.**

* * *

John Diggle was physically and mentally drained. He felt old, like centuries old, as he unlocked the front door of his home and walked in.

It was almost midnight so he expected Lyla would already be in bed, fast asleep, and he could just slip in next to her and catch a few hours of sleep before needing to get up in just a few hours. But his wife was wide awake and sitting on the sofa, her feet propped on the coffee table and a hand gently rubbing circles over her large stomach.

The feeling of being dead on his feet was forgotten the moment his eyes landed on her, a wide smile spreading on his face.

This was why he did what he did. Why he went out almost every night and broke a law after law. Lyla maybe didn't need him to protect her but his little one, the baby girl he can't wait to hold in his arms, was depending on him to make the city a bit safer for her.

"Are you planing to just stand there the whole night Johnny?" Lyla asked with a small grin as she turned her head to look at him.

"It's a lovely sight, I just couldn't help myself."

She reached for him and Diggle approached the sofa, slowly sitting down next to her so he doesn't jostle her too much. And seconds later his much larger hand covered her own above the spot where their little one preferred to kick.

"What's bothering you?" Lyla interrupted the silence after few minutes, her fingers interlacing with his.

"Slade Wilson."

It was a name she wasn't familiar with, not a name that came across in any of the files she read. But it bothered John for some reason, worried him, and that worried her.

"Tell me what I need to know."

"He's in Starling. He has Mirakuru in his veins and it's making him stronger and much more.. durable. I took a sample to ARGUS's lab, and hopefully they will manage to produce a cure."

The fact the team willingly worked with the agency was a clear sign to Lyla this Slade was more dangerous than any other opponent they faced before.

"Anything else? His endgame?"

"We know he is behind the kidnappings, and we know he is behind Oliver." John turned to look at her, his dark eyes revealing the concern he felt for his friend, "He was on Lian Yu with Oliver. Blames him for the death of Shado, a woman that was there too."

"This Slade loved her." Lyla concluded.

A nod was the only answer she received.

After a few moments of silence Lyla leaned to rest her head on Diggle's shoulder, the most comfortable place in the entire apartment. And the most safest.

She knew what troubled him. She understood he felt stretched into two directions.

"I'm worried about you." he finally spoke.

"You should worry about Oliver more." she pointed out, "He will need you right now."

His hand moved as the baby kicked, his movement following the movements of his little girl. She was precious to him, as precious as her mother, and he couldn't help but worry about them.

"You are close to your due date."

Lyla kissed his cheek and sighed, "I already called a friend and she agreed to keep me company. And speaking of friends I was asked to relay message."

"From?"

"Felicity." the moment the name escaped Lyla's lips Diggle turned to look at her, his eyes wide in surprise, "She wants you to know she is ready to talk when you are ready to listen."

"I'm always ready to listen to that girl."

* * *

The rhythmic sound of metal hitting metal was the only thing heard in the near darkness of the Foundry. It started little under ten minutes ago, when Oliver walked in after returning from wherever he disappeared to.

Now he was working out on the salmon ladder, moving up one step at the time, while continuously staring at the empty computer station.

Roy, who was lying on the cot by the wall, watched his workout routine with interest. The younger man was interested in trying it out himself, but didn't want to say anything. Not right now.

He didn't know what was going on with the team, but it appeared to be something big. He hoped the things would get resolved soon cause he felt like he was walking on eggshells around here, and for someone like him that was extremely uncomfortable. Like Thea he liked to say things as they are, not sugarcoat everything.

Few minutes later Roy heard the metal doors that led to the basement opening and closing, followed by the soft sound of footsteps on the stairs.

It wasn't John Diggle, he knew that much. The big guy couldn't possibly be that stealth.

That just left Sara as the person who was coming down. Only she wasn't.

Oliver, who managed to reach the top of the ladder, leaned forward on the metal bar and took a deep breath. He was exhausted. But not as much physically as emotionally.

Seeing the new family in Felicity's house was proof life continued. The time didn't stop just cause she was gone. It's been a week now since she walked away, yet it felt like years.

Looking down his eyes focused on the empty computer chair. It was her place in the Foundry, her throne in this place of concrete and metal.

It was a cold place when he first started his crusade as the Hood, as the killer that went after the names on the list. Only when she arrived did it became more.

Now it was once again nothing but a large room that housed the equipment and his suit. The warmth was gone.

Sara heard Oliver stop on the very top of the salmon ladder from her spot on the metal staircase. She went out earlier, just on a quick patrol. It wasn't really necessary, the city was quiet right now, but she needed to get out of the Foundry.

She expected a lecture later about leaving Roy alone, but after Dig left home earlier she just couldn't stay in this place any longer.

Sara knew she cared for Oliver, but she wouldn't call it love. She only loved one person and she was far away from Starling city. Oliver was here, and he was comfort she needed.

He was also the mistake she kept on making.

Laurel was right to snap on her, call her selfish. It was obvious to everyone who spend five minutes with Felicity and Oliver in the same room that there was something going on between those two. Or there should be anyway, cause they obviously had feeling for each other.

Still, she chose to ignore that and repeated the same mistake she made six years ago. Only this time it wasn't her and Oliver who were missing.

A clank of metal served as a signal that Oliver was now making his way down the salmon ladder so Sara made her way down the stairs.

* * *

She looked the same she did a week ago when he last saw her, and yet she appeared different on the screen of the laptop in front of Diggle.

There was always light in the bright blue eyes hidden behind the glasses, bold colored lipstick on her lips, perfectly applied nail polish, and colorful clothes.

The Felicity in front of him didn't have a smidgeon of makeup on her face, as far as he could see there was no paint on her nails either. The always bright young woman now looked as bland as the gray sweatshirt she currently had on.

"Lyla said you are ready to talk." Dig was the one who started the conversation.

She nodded and after a few moments of silence finally spoke, _"I'm sorry I cut you of Dig, I didn't mean to. But I couldn't face you after I left like that... like some thief. I was embarrassed."_

"There is no reason for you to feel that way."

 _"Yes there is."_ Felicity protested right away, _"I acted like a toddler Dig! I couldn't get what I wanted so I threw a hissy fit and just up and left. It was selfish of me... I knew that the second I stepped on the train for Gotham."_

 _"Why didn't you come back then?"_

Felicity on the screen shrugged, _"Pride. Childishness. I wanted to prove to myself I could succeed on my own just fine."_

Diggle frowned, "I wasn't aware that was ever in question. You did just fine on your own before you became a part of the team."

He saw her shrug once more before she looked away from the camera, and instead focused on something on her right. And Diggle remained quiet, gave her the time she needed to collect her thoughts.

It was odd to hear her speak like this. The Felicity he knew and loves babbled and made the most awkward innuendos. The woman he currently talked with struggled to get her thoughts out.

 _"Do you think I made a mistake by leaving Dig?"_

"I think you made a choice. Only you can say if it was a mistake or not." deciding to get away from the heavy subject Diggle asked about her current place of residence.

 _"Coast city is okay. The beach is nice, the people are friendly. My potential boss is really smart."_

"Try not to sound so ecstatic, you're making me want to move there too."

A smile instantly appeared on Felicity's face at his quip. A first one since their conversation started.

 _"I had an interview with Mr. Palmer and I walked into his office... Dig, he was working out on the salmon ladder."_ Felicity huffed, _"In his office... shirtless... It's so not fair!"_

"Cause Oliver never did that in QC?"

 _"Yes!" Felicity_ instantly answered, before a blush colored her cheeks once she realized what she just said, _"I mean 'no'. It's not that."_ she leaned forward towards the screen and whispered, _"Dig, I have a type."_

Whatever he was expecting for her to say that wasn't it. Instantly he started to laugh, glad to hear Felicity giggling too.

Diggle knew what he says next will destroy the lightness of the conversation but it needed to be said. He already dropped the name in and she didn't react badly to it.

"Oliver is taking your absence hard." in the next instance he could see Felicity flinch, and he went to console her, "I am not saying this to make you feel bad. I am just stating the fact."

 _"I know Dig. Still, I can't help it. I was the one who made a choice to leave."_

"And he was the one who made a choice to hook up with Sara again. From the way I see it your leaving was just a reaction to his action. Action he is now regretting."

 _"So you think I should come back to Starling."_ Felicity said carefully, trying to get the sense of what Dig thought was the best course of action.

"When you feel you are ready... then come back and we'll welcome you with out arms open."

 _"It's late right now. I should leave you to rest. I doubt things are quiet in the city right now, they never are."_

"We are currently enjoying the quiet before the storm." Diggle's words made Felicity frown.

 _"I should be there and helping you guys."_

"You should put yourself first for a change. We'll manage." he knew that if he gave her even a slightest hint that they could use her expertise she would be on the first plane for Starling. Hell, she might even hack the QC network and issue and order, seemingly made by Oliver, for the company jet to come pick her up.

 _"Is it big? The news reports are just talking about kidnappings with fatal results. Diggle?"_

He just shook his head, "We got it covered."

After few more minutes they disconnected the video chat and Diggle leaned back in the chair and rubbed his hands over his face. It would have been so easy to get her to come back, too easy. But right now perhaps being out of town was a better option for her.

The Slade guy was obviously hellbent on revenge, and he didn't want the bubbly blonde in his vicinity.

And he had a feeling Oliver would agree with him.

Now all he had to decide if he should tell his friend about talking to her.

The sound of Lyla turning in their bed reminded him it's a middle of night and he should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be yet another long day. He'll think about the problem with Oliver then.

* * *

The morning didn't bring anything new. The facial recognition software was functioning more or less properly, since the only photo they had of Slade was a grainy street camera still of him leaving the restaurant where he cornered Moira Queen and informed her of her son's alter ego.

Roy was asleep on the cot, mumbling in his sleep, and Sara found rest on the mats wrapped in a thin blanket.

Oliver however barely slept, and the short nap left him with aching back and neck. Falling asleep in the computer chair with his head on the hard desk surface wasn't the best choice.

He stretched, feeling his muscles protest against such torture, and stood up. It was Saturday, paperwork day at QC and as much as he wanted to just skip the whole going to work thing he knew that he couldn't. As much as he didn't want the position he was the CEO and he had obligations.

He texted Diggle that he would get to the company on his own today, no need for Dig to come pick him up in the town car. It was just for few hours anyway, and it was Saturday which meant only skeleton crew was at work today.

Not many people would be there to witness their boss come in dressed in jeans and a henley on a motorcycle.

Before going to the office Oliver grabbed coffee from the break room on the executive floor. He absently reached for the second cup before remembering there is no reason for that. There is no one else with him here today.

There is no one sitting behind the EA's desk and making funny faces at the sight of the CEO bringing his own coffee.

There was however a tall pile of paperwork waiting on the desk in his office. One pile. One single pile. There weren't three different ones like he's used to.

Felicity always made sure they were separated based on the subject and priority. It made his job easier and he went through them faster.

It allowed him to be done early and be out of the QC just in time to join his mother and sister for dinner at the mansion, but it seems today he would be missing the family meal.

Oliver sighed and sat on the chair that suddenly felt uncomfortable and restraining and reached for the first file.

* * *

In a half-dismembered office of an abandoned factory in the Glades Slade waited patiently for the package to be delivered.

His men weren't the brightest, but they were strong. There were few in numbers, but it only took one to complete the assignment he gave.

He'll have more soon anyway, there was no rush.

First he needed to break the Arrow.

Then he would expand his army of Mirakuru solders and break Oliver's city.

He'll probably start with the matriarch of the family, the prideful woman that looked down on him when he went to talk to her. Acted like she was better than him.

And he will leave her dead somewhere in a park, in a public place so she can enjoy the limelight even in death.

Little sister will be next... but first she has a role to play.

The shouts from the large empty hall told him the package arrived. It was time to be a good host and welcome his new guest.


	5. Chapter 5

Oliver almost dropped his phone in shock upon opening the text message that just arrived.

It was from his sister, he presumed she was once more asking about updates on Roy, and as mush as he hated to lie to her he was ready and willing to inform her there were no new leads. But it wasn't what the message was about.

In fact it wasn't even his sister who wrote and sent him the text.

"Damnit!" he snapped, startling Roy who was dozing off on the cot and making Sara and Diggle who were sparing on the mats stop to look at him.

"What's going on man? What happened?" his friend instantly dropped the bamboos stick he was holding and moved to his side.

"I got a message from Slade." Oliver answered and showed Diggle the phone screen.

"What did he say?" Sara asked right away.

Slade's presence in Starling city unnerved them all, but her particularly. She didn't know the older man well, unlike Oliver who became friends with him and who learned a lot from once normal man. A man who was now insane under the influence of Mirakuru.

She knew Slade blamed Oliver for Shado's death, but he held her responsible as well. She was the one Oliver chose that night.

Dig muttered a curse under the breath and turned to look in her direction, "Can you use the computer to track down Thea's phone?"

Sara blinked in surprise at the question. It made no sense why she should search for the younger Queen.

Roy on the other hand didn't waste time pondering. He straight away figured it out, "He got her too."

"Yes." Oliver muttered through clenched teeth.

"We'll get her back. No matter what or whom we have to face." Dig placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, "We will get your sister back."

"I'll call my father too." Sara said as she took a seat in front of the computer screens and opened the program needed to track down the phone's GPS, "Let him know."

Oliver just nodded in acknowledgment when his phone pinged again with a new message. This one was short and to the point.

 _For Shado_

"How long does it take to track down a phone?" he turned to look at the blonde typing at the keyboard and a pang in his heart reminded him he was looking at the wrong one. It wasn't Sara who supposed to be sitting there.

Those thoughts were becoming more and more frequent as the days pass by.

It's only been a week and it felt like a year.

"I honestly have no idea. My last attempt ended with... shit!" Sara cursed when the small alert appeared on the screen.

"What?" the two men moved to stand behind her, with Roy getting up from the cot and joining them.

Sara pointed out at the screen where the words in bold red informed them there is no GPS to be found. The phone was turned off so it's impossible to track it down.

"The police on tv did this thing where they turned the phone back on remotely." Roy pointed out but the blonde shook her head.

"I don't know how to do that."

"Than what's the point of a really great computer system if no one knows how to operate it properly?" the teen asked not realizing he stepped in a proverbial mind field.

"Not now Roy." Oliver growled at him before turning back towards Sara, "Just keep trying. Maybe check surveillance cameras too. I'll call my mother, see if everything is okay back in the mansion. We have security so he couldn't have gotten Thea from the house."

"Which means she left it for some reason." Dig pointed out with a frown. The girl was far too stubborn sometimes. Kind of like her brother.

"Yes, hopefully my mother knows where she went and we can narrow down the search. Get a starting point or something."

"What can I do?" Roy asked.

He didn't want to sat still and do nothing. He wanted to go out on the streets and find his girlfriend. But he didn't want to go against their order to remain in the lair.

Oliver knew Mirakuru, had seen the effect it had on a person, and he told Roy in all the gory details about it. He didn't spared the teen from knowledge the serum could send him into rage filled rampage.

Or the painful truth that the only way to stop him might be for them to kill him.

Oliver looked at him before looking away towards the small nook in the corner. They had a coffee machine there and some mugs on top of the metal desk, and below it was a cardboard box with a pot handle sticking out of it.

It took some rummaging through the accumulated stuff for Oliver to pull out a large metal bowl from it. With a tiny smile he remembered Felicity was the one who brought it in the Foundry. At the time the bowl was half full with chocolate pudding and she refused to share it with him and Diggle.

Apparently an elusive thief paired with a bad case of PMS resulted in need to stress eat.

Not that either he or Dig actually wanted to know that. But in her usual rambling way she told them anyway.

But there will be no pudding for Roy today.

Just some water for him to slap.

Diggle watched his friend pull the teen aside and place a bowl filled with water on the desk in front of him. The absence of clicking on the keyboard told him Sara too was watching them with interest.

All the while Oliver was explaining to Roy the point of the exercise wasn't just to strengthen the arm needed to fire a bow it was also to control the amount of power one uses.

Due to Mirakuru in his system Roy had far too much strength, and needed to learn to control it.

If not it would be too dangerous for him to even hug a person cause he might accidentally break their spine and kill them.

"Okay, that last part was a bit over the top, but I'll do it anyway." Roy said taking off his red hoodie and staying in a simple grey shirt, "Just in case you might be right."

Water splashed all over the desk when Roy slapped it and the teenager sighed. He felt like an idiot right now, but when Oliver nodded at him he just shrugged and did it again.

It kind of felt good.

Relaxing.

Like yoga only he got to hit something.

"I'll check in with ARGUS, see how they are doing with the cure." Diggle said when Oliver walked closer to where he was standing, "Think that is a good decision?" he asked afterward, nodding in Roy's direction.

"He needs to focus his energy on something productive. At the moment this is the best solution."

"And later?" Sara asked, irritation obvious in her voice, "Please don't tell me you plan to train the kid?"

"Later it will be up to him." Oliver answered with a shrug.

"I think it would be a good idea." Dig said casually and two pairs of eyes turned towards him, one curious of his reasoning and one shocked, "You may not approve of the kid but he seems to be a permanent part of Thea's life, at least for now. It might not be the worst idea of her basically having a bodyguard at her side."

Oliver blinked a few times before glancing back at Roy who was still focused at slapping water. It was decided then and there, the kid would be trained in at least self-defense. Anything else would be up to Roy, but Dig had a point. If it meant Thea's safety he was willing to put up with the teen.

"So I'm the only one who thinks it's a bad idea." Sara pointed out.

"AGRUS is working on a cure, Roy won't have Mirakuru in his veins forever." Oliver pointed out to her.

But Sara shook her head, "We can't know for a fact the cure will work. He might lose control and go crazy like Slade. And if you train him beforehand... then what?"

"I don't know." he was honest when he said it.

Oliver didn't want to be put in a spot where he had to kill the guy his little sister cared for. He didn't want to be the one to cause her pain. And he couldn't allow Sara to do it either, he knew the thought crossed her mind more than once.

"You do know. If the cure doesn't work you will have to do to him the same thing you will do with Slade." she pointed out.

"If being the key word." Dig placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder to show his support tot he younger man's decision, "But ARGUS doesn't employ idiots. They will deliver, and you won't have to kill."

"I don't want to break my promise."

Dig smiled sadly, "You won't. There is always another way."

Hearing the words she used so many times reminded Oliver once more who was absent from his life. The brightness that always fought against his decision to kill when she first started working with them.

Diggle was right. There is anther way. And he will find it.

After the water splashed all around him Roy looked up and watch the three members of the team go into separate corners of the lair, all with a phone close to their ears, to make the calls they mentioned.

He heard their conversation, how could he not with Mirakuru in his veins, and he briefly wondered if they were aware of that fact. They probably weren't cause they discussed the possibility of having to kill him.

He was grateful Oliver seemed to be on his side but the blonde woman he wasn't sure he could trust. He didn't know her or anything about her. All he knew she seemed ready to put him out like a dog.

He also knew they were making plans to go after the guy that took Thea, the same guy that had him kidnapped and infected. From what he understood they planed to go without him, leave him down here.

But that wasn't going to happen.

Roy was going to help them take this Slade guy down.

* * *

A click was heard as the doors locked. He left the key in, Slade knew no one would release the young Miss Queen from the room anyway. His men are good soldiers, they follow his orders. They aren't like the kid once was.

Oliver pretended to be his friend but it was a lie. A friend would not let him go through the hell of losing the woman he loved, a friend would not betray him and let her die in the first place.

Oliver chose Sara that day.

Soon he will be left without a choice.

Slade walked away towards the main entrance to the abandoned warehouse where his men waited for him. For the simple and a straightforward order to bring him the one Oliver Queen loved the most.

Thea tried to act like it didn't faze her, but he knew better. There were little things, little tells, that informed him the fact her brother didn't mention her even once the entire time they were together on the island bothered the girl.

Possibly even more than the fact Oliver was the one hiding behind the green hood.

Slade frowned. He will take a great pleasure of ripping Shado's hood from the jacket. The kid didn't deserve to wear it.

She would have still be alive if it wasn't for him. Him and the treacherous blonde he brought with him.

"Go." he ordered the moment his Mirakuru enhanced soldiers were in his sight, "Bring me the other one."

His plans were simple and were developing without a single problem. Soon he will have leverage over Oliver and destroy him, make him shatter and unable to function. Unable to stop him as he burns the whole city down.

He only had four men, the others didn't survive the change, but that was enough for now. Perhaps later he will create more, there is a rather useful machine that could help him accomplish that in Queen Consolidated Applied Science Division building.

He didn't have access but he had no doubt Moira Queen would get him what he needed if he asks it of her. After all he had her daughter kidnapped once, he could easily do it again.

And next time he would not return her.

This time however Thea Queen would survive her meeting with him. He already had everything he needed her for.

* * *

Blue and red lights flashed as the police officers with their guns drawn stormed the deserted warehouse. Leading them was detective Lance who head about the kidnapping from his younger daughter, before Moira Queen called him as well to report her daughter left the house sometimes during the night and didn't come back.

He had the unpleasant task of informing her he has a reason to believe Thea was kidnapped, but he could not give her a reason why, or who gave him the information.

His best guess was ransom, but Queen matriarch received no call from the kidnapper demanding money. The only call made about Thea was an anonymous tip on where to find her.

That gave Lance a reason to suspect the kidnapping had something to do with Oliver Queen and with him donning a green hood every night and going after the worst criminals Starling city had to offer with nothing but a bow and a quiver foll of arrows.

And with his Sara as backup.

"Spread out!" he ordered the uniforms behind him, "Check every single office, hall, nook and cranny. If Thea Queen is in here we have to find her!"

She heard them in the distance, she saw the lights of the flashlight moving outside of the door, coming closer with every passing second.

And Thea was pulling on the restrains that held her tied to the metal chair, desperately trying to free herself but the bonds looked like the ones used in hospitals for restraining patients. It was no use.

She wasn't getting out of this situation on her own.

The young policeman turned the key that was left in the keyhole, after trying to get it and realizing the door was locked, and slowly pushed opened them. His eyes moved around the empty office until the flashlight illuminated the young girl that looked rather wild.

Thea Queen's hair was a mess and her clothes wrinkled. And when he approached her to set her free she startled him by pulling on the restrains in an attempt to free herself.

"I found her!" he looked back towards the open door and yelled, before focusing once more on the bound girl, "Calm down miss so I can remove the ducktape and bonds."

"Get Lance!" she shouted in his fact the moment he ripped the ducktape from her mouth. She didn't shout in pain, or irritation, she instantly asked for the highest ranking policeman present, and that surprised him.

But he did as she wanted and called for Lance before he even removed the leather straps from her hands that held her tied to the chair. Something the detective didn't approve of once he entered the office where she was kept.

"No time to scold him detective!" Thea shouted instantly, "He's going after Laurel! You have to send a patrol at her address!"

Lance didn't ask for an explanation, didn't wait for her to be released. Instead he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed his daughter's number.

But there was no response.

"Get her to the mansion, I will go there later to perform the interview." he instructed before ordering a few policemen to follow him.

Thea watched the detective leave in the rush, ignoring the young officer that was releasing her hands. She was already making plans on how to call her brother but for that she needed a phone and she couldn't exactly ask a member of the force to borrow his.

You do not ask a policeman for help to contact a vigilante.

She will have to wait till she got home and get her mother's phone to make the call. Ollie needs to know about Laurel and the plan Slade arrogantly shared with her.

He obviously didn't believe her brother could beat him. She couldn't wait for Oliver to prove him wrong.

* * *

Sara left the lair some time ago, saying she has an idea they probably wont like but it's their best chance against Slade and they need all the help they can get.

Dig gave her a strange look, wondering what the blonde meant by that, while Oliver merely nodded absently. He was far too distracted to pay attention.

Dressed in green leather pants and a black v-neck shirt he was ready to suit up completely and leave at any single trace of Thea. But so far they haven't found anything.

"I got good news and bad news." Dig said as he approached the desk where Oliver was sitting, "The ARGUS lab rats managed to come up with something, but it's not working properly. They need more time. However, the guy in charge agreed to synthesize a heavy duty tranquilizer they created a while ago. It can be done and ready to pick up at the facility within an hour."

Oliver sighed. Those weren't the best possible news they could get, but it was better than nothing.

It seems things were going downhill for a while now.

"We don't have any other choice. I just hope it will be enough to stop Slade." he turned away from the monitor to look at his friend, "Call the guy back. I'll prepare the special arrows that will have this tranquilizer in them."

"You got it."

Sara was still not back when Oliver's phone ringed, the name on the screen showing it was his mother calling.

He was about to inform her he can't talk right now when his sister's voice shocked him, "Thea?" her name escaped his lips in shock and instantly caught Roy's attention.

 _"Ollie, you have to stop him! He's insane and he got them to kidnap Laurel!"_ she was shouting in the phone.

"Thea, calm down, please... where I you? Are you home?"

 _"The police got me out. I told Lance the guy went after Laurel but not where he plans to hold her. He told me to tell you. Ollie, the guy is really insane!"_

"I'm sorry Thea. This is my fault." Oliver whispered remorsefully.

He heard her snort, _"Cause you are the vigilante? Yeah, he told me that too. We are going to have a long talk about secrets when this is over. He also said he targeted Roy cause he saw us together. And now he's dead."_

"Roy is fine, Thea. He is here with me, he's alright... and no, you can't talk to him right now. I need the location." he could feel the teen watching him, probably deciding if he should try and take the phone out of his hands or not.

 _"It's a trap."_

"I know."

 _"He said he wants to break the Arrow before releasing his soldiers on the city."_ Thea never sounded so distressed, and it pained Oliver to hear his sister like this.

"The location, Thea."

A sigh was heard over the line before she told him the address Slade had her memorize. Perhaps she should have told it to the police but she wasn't willing to risk the maniac killing Laurel cause she didn't followed instructions.

And this whole thing was obviously personal.

it was between her brother and Slade.

 _"Please be safe. Please, Ollie."_

* * *

 **I am not completely happy with this chapter, but after few failed attempts this was the best result.**

 **I blame it on my mind that already started to mentally write a new story. But I plan to finish this one before New Year and start with the new one then.**


	6. Chapter 6

Oliver turned towards Diggle, his rage carefully hidden behind a mask of calmness. But his eyes gave him away. And his friends knew him well enough to know when it comes to Oliver Queen you one can get away with much, but if you touch his family you have signed your own death sentence.

A few months ago the Count learned that the heard way when he held Felicity hostage.

"Go to ARGUS, get whatever they have against Slade. I'll prepare the arrows." Oliver sat down on the computer chair with a sigh and leaned his head on the tall backrest, "Two hours?"

The older man nodded, "That's more then enough. Get to work on those arrows."

Ten minutes after Diggle left, while Oliver was sharpening first of four special arrows he made a while ago but had no reason to use, the constant sound of water splashing suddenly stopped.

And moments later hesitant footsteps signaled to him Roy was slowly walking closer towards the machines he used to produce his own arrows.

"Something I can do for you?" he asked the teenager when it became obvious Roy won't be the first one to speak.

"I heard what you said before... about training me." Oliver's head snapped in his direction, he was momentarily shocked until a look of realization crossed his face.

"Mirakuru. You heard us talking."

"I did, and I'm willing to train." the kid stood straighter, "To protect myself and Thea. And if your team ever needs help I can assist out on the streets too."

Oliver nodded with a small smile, "You say so now, but wait till the actual training starts."

"I grew up in the Glades. Learned to stand up for myself and those who are weaker. I can handle it."

Many would say the vigilante was intimidating. The suit with the hood, voice modulator and a quiver full of pointy arrows helped that image. But there was nothing intimidating about Oliver Queen right now.

Roy didn't know his girlfriend's brother, and only met him a handful of times, but it was easy to recognize he approved of Roy's decision.

But not necessarily of Roy as his little sister's boyfriend.

That is something they will still have to work on.

"Once this mess if cleared and the Mirakuru is no longer in your system... if you are still willing by then we'll train you."

"We?" Roy asked.

"Dig and myself. He'll take over physical training and I'll train you in archery." Oliver clarified before focusing back on sharpening the arrows.

Roy nodded in understanding. He didn't want to feel thankless but he wasn't all that certain that course was right for him. After Oliver sighed and focused on him again he finally spoke.

"As cool as archery looks I don't think I have what it takes to be good at it. I don't have the patience."

"You just slapped a bowl of water was good half an hour. You have the patience, Roy. But you need to find your resolve." Oliver didn't like to talk about the island, not with his family and especially not to a virtual stranger like the teen in front of him. But he felt it was crucial for Roy to know and understand, "I learned because I needed the knowledge to survive Lian Yu. Without it I would have died before a year was over. You need to find the good enough reason why you want to learn."

"Helping the city isn't enough?"

"Helping others is a noble cause, but thankless. Why Roy?"

The teen shrugged. And it didn't surprise Oliver in the least. To be honest sometimes he too wondered why he was doing it, why he risked his freedom as well as his life. So expecting from Roy to have a good answer was foolish.

He watched Roy turn and start walking back towards the table where the bowl of water rested. Oliver took a deep breath and raised his hand to continue sharpening his special arrow when a simple sentence made him glance at the kid.

"Because kids should be afraid of the monster under the bed, not the one under their window."

Oliver nodded in agreement. He was one of those kids who feared the darkness under his bed, Thea always claimed there was a monster hiding in her closet. But their monsters were only there in the darkness.

But the kids in Glades grow up surrounded by monsters who walk in sunlight, looking like regular men. Those are the worst kind.

* * *

It took Diggle little over an hour to return to the lair, a small box in his hand. At first glance it looked like a shoebox that contained baby shoes.

But in fact it contained their biggest asset.

"Sara not back yet?" the older man asked, noticing there were only three of them in the basement.

Oliver shook his head and carefully placed the last of his specially made arrows in the glass case. Each one of them had a small glass capsule just below the tip for the cure. Or in this case for the tranquilizer.

It wasn't the perfect solution, but once Slade is neutralized and locked up in maximum security prison it will be easy to cure him once ARGUS lab rats, as Dig called them, synthesize the effective counter-agent for Mirakuru.

"She'll be there when we need her." Oliver said with certainty the Canary will be there to have his back, before he muttered so quietly Dig barely heard him, "I just wish we weren't going in blind."

"I miss her too."

Roy lifted his head slightly, eavesdropping thanks to Mirakuru, as he once more heard them mention the elusive 'her'. The teen couldn't help but wonder who this woman was any why she seemed so important to Team Arrow.

He couldn't help but notice a look on Oliver's face. Roy was pretty certain it was the same expression he had that time he and Thea argued and she walked away.

The two of them fixed their relationship a few days later.

Oliver however didn't seem to achieved that just yet.

* * *

The rain started to drizzle as Oliver made his first steps on the roof of a long closed factory on the very edge of Glades. Slade obviously took a loot of time planing this very moment, ensuring there was no way Oliver could come with backup. The four men that stood on every corner had the unobstructed view of any possible way the help might arrive from.

He was on his own.

For a while anyway.

Diggle was on a roof of a building somewhere behind him, watching his every move through a sniper scope. Watching his back like he always did.

A wide grin spread on Slade's face when Oliver stopped few feet away from where he stood. He and the little surprise he had for the kid.

"Your sister was very helpful in relying my message. I'll make sure to thank her next time we meet." the older man spoke, overconfidence filling his voice. He was certain he was the one who will walk away from this altercation.

"You will never come anywhere near her again."

"And who will stop me?" Slade asked, "You? With your pitiful arrows? I have Mirakuru in my veins, or did you forget. It will take more than pointy sticks to kill me. You could not even stop me from taking miss Lance... but then again you didn't even try."

Laurel watched the vigilante stand ramrod straight few feet from where she was kneeling on the hard concrete roof. The familiar green hood obscuring his facial features. But the madman behind her obviously knew who was hiding below it.

"Let her go Slade. This is between us." the rain had no effect on the voice modulator the Arrow used, it was still distorted beyond recognition.

"No can do kid. You took Shado away from me and now I will return the favor and take lovely Laurel away from you." a hiss of pain followed his words as he grabbed the blonde by her hair and pulled, "Perhaps we should clarify things for her before she dies, what do you say?"

"Slade-"

"Take off your hood!" Slade roared, "You do not deserve to wear it anyway! Take it off!"

Laurel's eyes widened as a familiar face revealed itself. The face of a man she thought she knew, but apparently she had no idea who he truly was.

She knew it was the island's fault, and whatever people he came across there. Laurel was there when he took the polygraph, she was there when he straight out admitted he was tortured during those five years.

But what she didn't see, or didn't want to see, if how much all that changed him.

Maybe because she still hoped she would get her Ollie back. Even when she was with Tommy she hoped.

But Ollie was gone. She saw that now. She saw it in the anger on his face, in the way he clutched the vigilante's weapon of choice in his hand. In the way he stood, tight as a bowstring, ready to kill Slade.

Because that is what he did now. He killed people.

"You don't have to do this Slade." Oliver said after an innocent hand gesture ended up being him turning off his voice modulator.

"But I do kid. Ivo gave you a choice and you chose wrong. I won't bother with games." Laurel couldn't help but gasp in shock when a long sword appeared seemingly out of nowhere and was pressed to her neck, "There is no choice for you tonight. I have the woman you love."

"No you don't."

A volley of arrows too one of Slade's Mirakuru solders by surprise, sending the man on the ground with multiple wounds to the chest. It was the distraction Oliver needed and he had a pretty good idea who he should thank for that.

Laurel gasped in shock as an arrow flew right past her and embedded itself in Slade's shoulder. A glance to the right revealed it was one of Oliver's, as the ADA she was familiar with the case of Starling city vigilante and knew quite well exactly how his arrows look like.

"Nice try kid..." Slade started to talk but the world around him was becoming more and more blurry, and moments later he even dropped the sword he held to his hostage's neck.

The gunshot he heard earlier told him Diggle took down at least one of the Mirakuru soldiers. With precision Oliver shot the one who was trying to move to Slade's side and grab the sword that rested at Laurel's feet.

But the problem was there should have been four of them, and right now he can count three bodies. The forth one is missing.

"Dig." he called over the comm.

"I don't have eyes on him." his friend responded, "He was by the west entrance."

Oliver just turned in that direction when the last Mirakuru soldier stumbled back, an arrow stuck in his shoulder. Instantly he frowned, it was one of his but he didn't shoot it. And no one else had access to his gear.

No one but...

"Roy!" he called the teenager's name after the kid in red hoodie stepped through the door, "I told you to stay in the lair."

"I couldn't just do nothing while the others fight."

He knew now was not the time or the place to deal with the stubborn youth, so Oliver decided to let it slide for now. He could hear the sirens in the distance, signaling the police is coming. That was good, but it meant ARGUS will have to act fast if they want to collect Slade before SCPD does.

Finally Oliver once more focused on the woman that still stood frozen on the same spot. She looked shaken but if one thing he knew about Laurel Lance is that she recovers really fast, and Oliver expects he will be hearing a lecture from her within a day or two about secrets and stupid ideas.

Approaching her slowly not to startle her Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder, making her snap out of stupor and focus on him.

"Are you alright?" he asks gently.

But instead of answering his questions she makes on of her own, "Did you mean it?"

"Laurel..."

"Did he had the wrong woman?"

Thinking about the bright blonde with glasses, Oliver couldn't help but smile before answering, "Yes."

He was long past his feelings for her. It happened sometimes between escaping the island and being send back on it. During the time he worked for Waller, when the darkness surrounded him and he felt he could taint everything around him with a single touch.

He still felt that way sometimes.

He felt that way the night Felicity walked away. She was brightness and light, and his darkness dimmed it.

"Ollie, I-"

"Your father is on his way."

* * *

Diggle's phone pinged again with a new message and the wide grin that spread on his face was so bright could have illuminated the entire lair. He looked up from the screen and noticed Oliver watching him curiously.

They arrived at the lair just minutes ago and Dig was already itching to leave, but he waited for his friend to change from the green leather so he could come along. He knew Oliver would want to come along.

"Are you high?" Roy asked bluntly.

"Better." Dig responded, "I'm a dad."

"What?" Oliver gaped at him, "Did you know Lyla went into labor? Why didn't you said anything? You should have been there with her."

Diggle shook his head, "I would have gladly be with her but you needed me tonight. And she understood that. She told me not to show up in the hospital until the city was safe and Slade taken care of."

"So she went through labor all alone." Oliver concluded.

"No, she had a friend with her. Now if you are done we can go so I can finally hold my little girl."

But they didn't even managed to get out of Verdant before upset Thea Queen intercepted them. She muttered something to Oliver about secrets before marching right to Roy and punching him in the shoulder. For someone her size she was pretty strong.

"Where do you three think you are going?"

"Hospital." Oliver pointed to Diggle, "Meet John Diggle, a new father of a baby girl."

"Oh." Thea smiled widely, "Then why are we still standing here? Let's go!"

Diggle was first in through the hospital door, with Thea and Roy right on his heels. They didn't even notice Oliver stopped and was no longer following them.

He didn't recognize the woman next to Sara, but he suspected she was a member of the league. Her posture, the energy that surrounded her. The woman was an assassin. She was dangerous.

And she also cared for Sara. He could see that too by the way the two of them stood close together.

"You are leaving." he said as he approached them.

Sara nodded, "But not back to the league. Nyssa had me released from their hold. We're going to travel together." the blonde turned to look at the other woman and a bright smile appeared on her face. A smile Oliver hasn't sen on her face in years, since before the island.

It was odd that this dangerous killed brought back the sweet Sara from before. He doubted anyone else could do that. She certainly didn't smile that way at him.

But another woman did.

"I wish you all the luck." he told her honestly.

The smile vanished from Sara's face as she looked at the floor, "I wish you all the luck too. I hope you will manage to fix what we destroyed."

A knot tied itself in Oliver's throat, preventing him from answering. He knew exactly what she was talking about, which night was on her mind and which event, that led to their brief relationship falling apart without them even talking about calling quits.

It just happened.

And now he watched her leave with Nyssa and all he could feel was happiness for her. And regret that he didn't have that someone in his life.

Not anymore.

He couldn't but ponder about all the wrong choices he made regarding Felicity as he finally entered the hospital and took the elevator to the maternity ward. He always tried to convince himself it was for her own good, it was to ensure she doesn't get hurt.

In the end he was the one who hurt her.

And all Oliver hoped for was a chance to see her again and get the opportunity to repair things between them.

"No way are you holding her next!" Oliver's footsteps slowed down as he heard Dig, "I am her father. I get to hold her next!"

"But I am that cool fashionable aunt that spoils the kids." Thea protested and Oliver instantly smiled at his sister's antics. She barely knew Dig and she didn't know Lyla at all and yet she named herself their newborn's aunt.

"Roy, don't say a word. I don't care which title you give yourself I am holding her next!" Dig's words were followed by female laughter.

It was a lovely sound, a sound he missed immensely.

Oliver paused in the doorway and just watched the scene in front of him, a small smile appearing on his face as he watched her.

Lyla was the first one who noticed him, but she didn't say anything. She let him bask in the beauty in front of him.

The sight of Felicity holding a newborn in her arms.

* * *

Thea was so focused on her phone and the online baby story that she didn't even notice Oliver paused in the foyer of the Queen mansion until she bumped into him.

"Whoa... what's going on Ollie? What happened?"

She watched him look around the large area filled with priceless antiquity that was lovely but impersonal.

"I just realized this isn't what I want."

Thea looked around not understanding what he meant, "What do you want?"

"A home."


	7. Chapter 7

Thea was so focused on her phone and the online baby story that she didn't even notice Oliver paused in the foyer of the Queen mansion until she bumped into him.

"Whoa... what's going on Ollie? What happened?"

She watched him look around the large area filled with priceless antiquity that was lovely but impersonal.

"I just realized this isn't what I want."

Thea looked around not understanding what he meant, "What do you want?"

"A home."

Footsteps were heard on the hardwood floor before Moira appeared on the doorway. The always composed Queen matriarch looked distressed and only the sight of her children safely at home managed to calm her down.

She was against Thea leaving the mansion so soon after being found by the police, but her daughter has always been stubborn. She got that from her mother.

"You have a home Oliver." she finally spoke, after few moments of silence during which she took in the sight of the siblings standing side by side.

"I know but..." he started, but quickly lost the train of thoughts.

Instantly Thea leaned towards her brother, and leaned her head on his shoulder. The sweet smile she gave him may have seem innocent but both mother and brother knew her too well not to suspect she was up to something.

And that was proven correct when Thea looked straight at Moira and blurted, "He has a bit of an existential crisis after seeing the love of his life hold a newborn baby."

"Does that mean Laurel is safe? That is wonderful news. But where did you find a newborn baby?"

Oliver blinked a few times in confusion, trying to understand why his mother was mentioning his ex-girlfriend. At the same time Thea wasn't sure if she should grin that her brother didn't corrected the title she gave Felicity; or frown at her mother for mentioning Laurel right now.

"Laurel is fine." Oliver finally responded, "I'm guessing Lance took her home."

"You're guessing?" now Moira was the one confused.

"I meant Felicity Smoke." Thea said with a sigh, "You know Ollie's formed EA. The quirky blonde with glasses and no mouth filter? Yeah, her."

"Thea, sweety, Miss Smoke was nothing more than your brother's secretary. She isn't-" Oliver interrupted his mother before she managed to complete the sentence.

He had a pretty good idea what she was going to say. He knew his mother didn't like Felicity, or maybe didn't approve of her. Either way she would describe her as unimportant, replaceable, maybe a gold-digger. But she wasn't that.

Felicity was vital to him.

To both the CEO and the vigilante.

And he decided maybe it was time to come clean with what was remaining of his family. Completely clean.

That included telling Thea certain things about her parentage as well.

* * *

The drive to the Foundry was quiet, and few times Oliver even glanced in his sister's direction just to make sure she was still there and didn't escape the car. He didn't remember when was the last time he saw her so silent.

But he also understood her silence. She still had a lot to process, after all the revelation from last night was a really big one. Their mother was against it, but Oliver ignored her protest. Moira was still desperate to hold onto her old secrets, and Oliver was tired of them. Tired of lying to his friends.

So he told Thea the truth about her biological father.

The dark circles under her eyes, that she tried but didn't actually succeed to hide with make up, told him she didn't have much sleep last night. Truth be told neither did he.

Every time he closed his eyes he could see her. The golden hair, blue eyes behind glasses, the colorful clothes and fingernails. And what he liked the most about her; the wide smile. The smile that she used to give him... the smile that he missed so desperately once she left. Once he practically chased her off with his stupidity.

He kept making the same damn mistake over and over.

And then he had done it one too many times.

The sight of her leaving the Verdant that night, the words she said, still haunted his dreams.

"Would you have told me?" the question caught Oliver by surprise, and he once more turned to look at his sister, noticing she was looking out the window and not towards him, "If Slade haven't revealed your secret, would you have told me?" she clarified.

"I didn't plan to." he was honest with her, she deserved it after all the secrets that were slowly destroying their family, "You saw a bit of what I'm faced with every time I put on the hood. Slade took you cause you are my sister. During mom's trial..." it was difficult for him to relive that particular moment when he broke the promise to Tommy, but not just cause he felt like he let his friend down. It was the memory of how close she was to death.

"Ollie?" Thea noticed the look on her brother's face. He looked... tortured.

"During mom's trial there was that incident with the Count." he reminded her.

Right away she nodded, she remembered that day clearly, and how angry she was at her brother for leaving when their mother needed them to be there for her. Support her during the hearing.

"The Arrow... you killed him."

"I had no choice that day." he whispered so silently she barely heard him.

A feeling of a hand on his shoulder made Oliver turn towards his sister. The gently touch that meant the world to him.

"Because he was a bad guy." she pointed out.

"Because he had Felicity." Oliver corrected her and Thea gaped at him, "He held a syringe full of Vertigo at her throat and was going to inject her with it. She would have died of overdose before help could arrive. I made a promise to Tommy before he died that I would stop killing. That day I broke the promise."

The rest of the drive was spent in complete silence. Both siblings were lost in their own thoughts up until Oliver parked behind Verdant and reached for the doorhandle. Before he could open the driver side door Thea took hold of his right hand, and he focused on her instead.

"What use would have been if you have kept your promise and she died?" she asked seriously, and Oliver leaned to his right and pecked her cheek.

He knew it was her way of saying she understood that sometimes he had to make the most difficult choice and end someone's life. And she didn't judge him for it.

* * *

The only reason Roy Harper didn't end up lying flat on his back on the cold concrete floor of the Foundry was the Mirakuru that was still in his system. Because she might be small, but Thea was a force to recon with. Especially when she tackled a person.

"You just say me hours ago." Roy pointed out with a laugh.

"I know. But I wasn't sure if you'll still be here." she explained and instantly he wrapped his arms a bit more tight around her, but not tight enough to cause her pain or leave bruises.

"There is no where else I would rather be." he whispered in her ear, ignoring the snort coming from Diggle who just walked by the hugging couple and heard what he said.

"You could have stayed at the mansion yesterday, Roy. Even Ollie said it was okay."

Dig looked at his friend and Oliver shrugged. He did say it cause he knew it would make his sister happy. Their mother probably not so much. But he had a feeling Roy Harper might before a permanent fixture in his sister's life, so their mother will just have to get used to the teen and his presence.

"I know, but I stayed here instead. The cot is actually quite comfortable, and the Internet connection is really fast so I watched a movie... why are you two looking at me like that?"

Thea turned to see what her boyfriend was talking about and noticed Oliver and Diggle were gaping at Roy.

"You used the computers to watch a movie?" Dig asked carefully, glancing towards the stairs like he expected someone to appear there.

"Look, I know they are actually used for the Arrow business and all, but-"

"Think she will use her loud voice?" Oliver grinned when Dig turned towards him and asked.

"What's going on?!" Thea wanted an answer, and she wanted it now.

"Let's put it this way... just cause I paid for the computers it does not mean they are mine." Oliver clarified, causing Thea to roll her eyes.

"They are Blondie's?" Roy asked, "I forgot her name... met her in the hospital yesterday."

"Felicity." Dig said with a nod, "They are her babies. So start praying she doesn't give you an hour long lecture with a PowerPoint presentation on why you should never use them for something that isn't Arrow related."

"She sounds scary." the teen muttered. "Doesn't look that way."

"Looks can be deceiving." Dig responded with a grin. He had successfully scared the snot out of the kid.

"I wasn't sure she if was a part of the team." Thea commented once she took a seat in the computer chair and started to spin in it slowly, "How long was she working with the Starling city vigilante?"

"Longer then she knew." Diggle grinned, and when Oliver groaned explained, "Since your brother handed her a laptop with bullet holes in it, told her it doesn't work cause he spilled Latte on it, and she helped him. The excuses just got more ridiculous after that."

"Seriously?" Thea laughed, "It seems to me you were looking for reasons to seek her out, Ollie."

Before Oliver managed to respond to his sister's taunt Roy interrupted him, "But she wasn't here when you brought me in. In fact no one even mentioned her."

Dig turned towards his friend, silently telling him he was the one that should explain that one.

"I messed up." Oliver finally said with a sigh, after few moments of silence, "And she left. Even quit in QC."

"What did you do?" Thea asked right away. She only met Felicity properly last night and instantly liked the quirky blonde.

"I hooked up with Sara... and she caught us down here, and-"

"God, Ollie..." his sister groaned, and he frowned at her, "Because it ended up so great the last time you decided to hook up with Sara Lance... You are my brother, and I love you most of the times, but you are an idiot if you don't realize a relationship with Sara is only good to destroy another, possibly better, relationship."

"Can we just... stop dissecting my private life for a moment and focus on something more important?" Oliver pointed at his friend, "Like the Diggle baby that still doesn't have a name."

"Oh, she has a name." Dig responded, deciding to give Oliver a break and not insist they continue the conversation about his mistakes, "And since both my ladies are doing great the doctor said they could come home today. So there will be a dinner in their honor tonight and you are all invited. Then we will announce my little girl's name."

Thea grinned, a celebration dinner was a perfect reason to buy gifts for a baby. Not that Thea Queen needed a reason to go shopping. She never shopped for a newborn before, though. But they was okay. Clothes were clothes, just smaller.

* * *

Lyla observed the odd group of people in the apartments she shared with her husband with a small smile on her face. They were quite a bunch of different individuals. A billionaire vigilante, his younger sister the heiress, the girl's boyfriend a ex-thief, and a bubbly computer specialist. Two of them she only met yesterday, but they were already dear to her.

The dinner went great, especially since she wasn't the one who cooked it. Oliver surprised her earlier by showing up at the apartment hours before he supposed to and made their meal himself. Said it was his gift to the new mom. He did however tried to get Johnny to help.

Her man only responded that this was Oliver's gift, and therefore he can do it himself.

The Starling city vigilante just shrugged and went to peeling the potatoes.

And it was a general consensus that this was the best meal they all ever had. The company certainly helped in that conclusion.

At the moment Oliver was casually sitting on an armchair with a beer in his hand, seemingly listening what she was saying. But Lyla was a trained ARGUS agent. She wasn't an idiot that didn't notice his focus was elsewhere.

Namely on little Andrea Diggle. And the woman that was holding her.

Roy noticed it too. He didn't know Oliver Queen that good, but he was certain he never saw that dreamy look on his face before. Hoping his girlfriend, and Oliver's sister, would be more familiar with the dreamy look her brother currently sported he slowly reached for her hand and squeezed gently, attracting her attention without attracting Oliver's.

She glanced at him instantly and with a small move of his head he pointed out at the man in the armchair. The young girl looked at Diggle and raised her eyebrow.

And the former soldier just sighed and shook his head.

He was getting tired of Oliver and his inability to just express his emotions in a less creepy way, cause at the moment he was looking at Felicity like a man dying of thirst and she was the oasis his life depended on.

"It's getting pretty late." Thea finally pointed out. She had a plan and hoped her brother was smart enough to catch on, "Could you give me a ride back to the mansion, Ollie?"

Seeing that Roy and Felicity were both getting ready to leave he simply tossed his sister the car keys, "You can give yourself a ride, even drop Roy at his place now that he is no longer staying at the lair."

"And you?" she asked innocently.

"I'll walk Felicity to her hotel, and then catch a cab." his response made the blonde woman gap at him, not expecting him to say something like that.

"That's not necessary." instantly Felicity tried to change his mind.

But tonight she worked against two Queen's, and she stood no choice. Especially not against Thea who was a woman on a mission.

"Oh, it's very necessary." the young heiress said with a wide smile, before winking at her brother. She gave him an in, not it was up to him to fix what he messed up. And she dodubted he would be given several chances to do so.

Diggle agreed with her. As he and Lyla watched the pair walk away, in the direction of the hotel Felicity was staying in, he muttered under his breath, "Last chance, Oliver."

Lyla only laid a hand on his shoulder. She knew he was rooting for the two people he cared about finally do something about that mutual attraction everyone around them noticed, but they themselves somehow remained blind to it.

* * *

The vase with sunflowers that arrived together with her breakfast order surprised Felicity. But it shouldn't. Not really.

The slow walk back to her hotel last night made it quite obvious to her that Oliver was trying to patch up things between them. He was a perfect gentlemen, even lend her his jacket cause her thin sweated didn't really help with the chill of the evening. But then again Oliver was known to have impeccable manners when it suited him.

And last night he went all out as he asked her about her life after she left Starling. Felicity indulged his curiosity. She told him about the choice not to stay in Gotham after all, and work for Wayne enterprise. About the offer to work for Ray Palmer in Coast city. About her choice to return to Starling once she realized she missed her home.

The hopeful look in his eyes didn't escape her notice. It actually caused an excited tingle down her spine and Felicity desperately tried to block it. She had no reason to feel anything, absolutely anything, just cause Oliver seemed happy at the prospect of her returning to the city.

But it was very difficult to pretend she was completely unfazed by the attention he was giving her last night. She felt important to him again, like she did before when she was his girl.

A knock on her door startled Felicity and she opened them without asking who it was. If it was Dig she would be getting a lesson about safety, she was quite certain about that.

But it wasn't. It was the other member of the original Team Arrow.

"Good morning." Oliver said with a wide smile, "I hope you had a good night rest."

She watched his suspiciously, trying to figure out what was going on, but he was just standing there all calm and collected, while she was trying to do something about those butterflies in her stomach and failing miserably.

"Morning. And yes, I slept well." she finally responded.

"I didn't." the next words out of his mouth surprised her and Felicity frowned, "Can I come in?"

She moved slightly and opened the door a bit more, welcoming him inside her room. It was fairly simple, nothing like the suites he was probably used to. No unnecessary luxury for her, not until she got a permanent job.

"Thank you." she blurted, causing Oliver to turn towards her and look at her curiously, "For the flowers, I mean. I like sunflowers."

"I remember. You said you prefer them over any other cause they have a purpose, and aren't just for decoration." the fact that he remembered something she said over a year ago made her smile instantly. It was yet another proof Oliver could be sweet when he wanted to.

"So, what kept you up at night?" she asked and, when he looked confused, added, "You said you didn't sleep well."

Oliver nodded but remained quiet. She could recognize that look on his face easily. He was trying to find the right words, so Felicity remained silent too until he was ready to talk.

"I had a lot of my mind, I guess. Yesterday was... I finally... I mean..."

"Usually I'm the one talking in fragmented sentences." Felicity pointed out with a small smile. He was nervous, and she wanted to make him feel more comfortable.

"Have dinner with me." Oliver finally blurted.

As a response he received a gasped, "What?"

"Felicity Smoak, would you have dinner with me?"

"Can I know why? Why now?"

Felicity watched as Oliver slowly turned away from her, intentionally avoided her eyes. Instead he looked at just about anything in the room, from the few prints that decorated the walls to her breakfast that was slowly getting cold.

"Because I am smart enough to know when I made a mistake, but stupid enough to do it in the first place." he muttered, "I am asking for a chance Felicity, one final chance, to make things right."

"And you think a dinner is the way to do it?"

"I don't know... when it comes to you I don't really know. Because this is the first time I actually care about what you want, and I-"

"What I want is not to be the second choice." she interrupted him and Oliver's blue eyes snapped at her, "I know it's selfish of me, because there will always be more important things, I just want to be someone's first choice. I never had that before."

"Then let me put you first." he practically begged her, "Give me a chance to show you... I'm scared Felicity. You know it's not easy for me to admit this out loud, but sometimes I am terrified. The thought of you getting hurt because of me, because of what we do... and then you walked in the Foundry that night and got hurt. Not because of me, but by me."

"I threw a tantrum worthy of a toddler and abandoned you and everything we did." Felicity was ashamed of how she reacted that night. She didn't react like an adult human woman, she acted like a kid that couldn't accept the fact she didn't get what she wanted.

"And you had every right to do so. You needed to leave so you could come back when you were ready. And that is what this is all about." he slowly approached her and gently took her hand in his, "About being ready."

"What are you ready for?" Felicity's voice was meek.

"Dinner. And a bottle of red wine I still owe you." he responded and, when she looked up, their eyes locking, smiled brightly like he always did when it came to her, "I'm ready to be both Oliver and the Arrow. I'm ready to be with someone I care about."

* * *

Dig had a grin on his face the whole time while he was driving Felicity to the location where Oliver was waiting for her. Not that she could know that since she had a silk scarf tied around her eyes.

"You can stop smirking." a comment from the back seat made him look in the rear-view mirror.

"How can you tell?" he just had to know.

"I agreed to dinner with Oliver. Did you also win money in a bet too?"

He snorted, "No one wanted to bet. We were all certain you would agree to the date."

"It's not a date, it's dinner." she pointed out.

"You are all dressed up and wearing contacts. Oliver is all dressed up and wearing suspenders." a groan coming from the woman on the beak seat made him smirk again. Guess he did win fifty bucks after all, cause Oliver didn't believe that Felicity had a thing for him wearing suspenders. The boy was obviously blind if he didn't notice how she looked at him that night after he took off his suit jacket.

Or actually how she tried _not_ to look at him.

Totally transparent.

"Still not a date." Felicity muttered quietly under her breath, before something he said finally registered in her mind. The very thought of Oliver wearing the certain accessory slowed down her processing capability, but there was nothing she could do against it, "Who is this 'we' you mentioned? 'We were all certain'?"

"Oh just me and Lyla... and Thea... Roy." he checked her reflection in the mirror before saying the final name, "Mrs. Queen."

If the scarf wasn't covering her eyes Dig was certain they would be open wide and gaping at him in shock. Cause he pretty much just told her Oliver's mother knew about the date and also approved it. Well, he didn't _said_ she approved, but Moira Queen was oddly on board with her son asking Felicity out on a dinner.

It was even her idea to make it a bit more special tonight, a bit more personal and away from the public eye. And there was no better place for that then the one Dig was stopping right in front.

Felicity turned when the back door opened and moved to exit, a large hand gently reaching for her elbow and helping her out.

"Can I take the scarf off now?" he asked impatiently.

"Not yet."

"Can I at least peek?"

Dig sighed, "I received strict instructions. No removing the scarf, no peeking, no anything until it's time."

"You're no fun."

"I can life with being no fun. But if Thea Queen finds out I didn't followed the basic instructions..." Felicity's laughter cut him off and Diggle had to smile at the sound. He missed her presence, her brightness, and her laugh.

It will be great to have her back in Starling and in their lives. And most likely in the team.

"Don't let me fall." she gasped after he started to lead her towards their final destination, and she tripped before they even entered the building.

"I won't, I promise."

Oliver heard their footsteps, stood up from the chair he was sitting on, and went to meet them. His friend did his part, it was time for him to take over.

Felicity turned towards Dig when she felt him release her hand. She couldn't see him but she could hear him pulling away, "What...?"

"Felicity." all Oliver had to do was say her name like he did before and instantly he had her complete attention. She forgot all about their friend standing somewhere behind her, about the fact she had a scarf on her eyes and didn't know where she was, about the nervousness she felt in the car.

Suddenly he was right there, and all she could focus on was him. His presence in her life.

"Oliver."

He took her hand in his and Felicity bit her lower lip to prevent herself from gasping. For someone who had such rough hands his touch was incredibly gentle.

"Thank you for coming, for agreeing to dinner."

She wanted to grin at Diggle, tell him that she was the one who was right. That it was a dinner, and not a date.

Instead she honestly said, "There is nowhere else I would rather be."

* * *

The small fairy lights twinkled all around them, creating a magical atmosphere. Felicity never saw anything more beautiful than the carefully planed and executed date for two, in the large wooden gazebo in the garden of the Queen mansion.

It was obviously Oliver had help, there was no way he could have done all this himself. And she was okay with that. Because he personally did the most important aspect of the dinner.

The meal they were currently enjoying.

"So not only are you handsome and rich, you can also cook." she sighed, "You, Oliver, are the member of the group that is being hunted till extinction by women all over the world."

He gave her the sweetest smile in response, one that made her literally lost her breath, before he responded, "I am only interested in being hunted by one woman. And she already caught me... just that neither of us knew it."

A bright blush colored Felicity's face. There was no way she misunderstood what he just said.

He meant her.

"I can't cook." she suddenly blurted, "One time I put eggs to cook and forgot about them, and all of the water evaporated and the eggs cracked in the empty pot. The whole apartment stunk for hours. It was awful."

"I couldn't either, but I was forced to learn. Now I enjoy it."

"Maybe you could teach me." she said coyly.

A wide smile spread on Oliver's face. It wasn't just an offhand request for cooking lessons, it was her way of saying she'll continue being a part of his life.

"I would happily do that as soon as I find the place I like."

Felicity frowned, looked towards the mansion, and then back at him, "Place?"

"I'm moving out. Told my mother about it, about wanting my own place."

"How did she take it?" all of her dealings with Mrs. Queen were short and not particularly pleasant.

Oliver placed both hands on the table in front of him and leaned forward, his eyes watching her closely. He wanted to see her reaction to his idea, and hoped she would find it as appealing as he did.

"She was the one who suggested it, offered really. I'm taking a three months leave from QC, she will be the acting CEO in the meantime."

"Where will you go?" Felicity instantly asked. The thought of him leaving Starling city now that she was back was... not pleasant.

"Anywhere I want." Oliver said with a shrug, "I had this dream of just getting in a car and driving away. No destination, no plans... just a long road ahead... and you next to me."

Felicity leaned back in her chair. The idea sounded so appealing, so perfect. But there was another long road ahead of them, the proverbial one they needed to travel until they fixed things between them.

"And the Arrow? What about him?"

"I told you this morning I want to be both Oliver and the Arrow. The truth is I forgot what it felt like being Oliver Queen, just the man... without the hood."

Felicity nodded, she understood what he meant. And with each passing moment his plan to just drive away seemed more and more like the best possible idea for the two of them. Oliver basically admitted he cared for her, maybe even felt something more for her. And she was certain she loved him.

Leaving Starling for a few months might be just what they need to clear the air between them without any distractions or audience. And it's not like she had any plans for the future anyway. She was currently without a job or home.

Matching Oliver's pose, and also leaning forward so their noses were few inches away she grinned wickedly and asked, "So, you want to give me a ride of my life?"

Oliver grinned back. Felicity's sexual innuendo's were hilarious. But when she said them intentionally... that's even better.

"There are quite a few cars in the garage. Pick one and we'll test drive it tonight."

* * *

First personalized postcard they sent was right away attached to the fridge with an arrow shaped magnet. And every time he saw the image them smiling at the deck of a ship in front of Niagara falls, of all places, Diggle had to smile as well.

Second postcard attired at the mansion. Thea screeched like a banshee when she saw it and ran to show it to her mother. Both Queen women agreed there wasn't a more beautiful sight than Oliver and Felicity holding hands while standing at the edge of a cliff in the Grand Canyon. Moira also made a mental note to yell at her son for doing something so dangerous.

One postcard had a Las Vegas address written on the back and Donna Smoak had the surprise of her life when she saw the photo. Her little girl had some explaining to do. She had no idea Felicity knew Oliver Queen. And why were they holding hands while at the same time hugging a giant sequoia?

The one Walter received had a simple 'Thank you' written on it, and the gentle man instantly smiled. Oliver was a good man, and Felicity was a bright young woman. They both deserved to be happy, and if they could be happy together than that is even better. He heard from Thea that they were traveling together, and from the elegant lines and glass structure of Eero Saarinen's Kresge Auditorium in the background behind the smiling couple he concluded they decided to also visit MIT.

That was the only communication exchange for almost three months, until Felicity received an e-mail from Thea with the subject 'family home' that several attachments to it. It confused her at first, there was no reason for Thea to send her photos of the Queen mansion.

But it turned out the small gallery the Queen heiress put together was of an empty three bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood. It featured a large kitchen with state of the art appliances, an incredible en-suite bathroom and a big walk-in closet, and it seemed one of the rooms was designed to be a study cause it had a built in shelves.

When she mentioned to Thea she was going apartment hunting after the trip she didn't expect for her self-proclaimed best friend to do it for her. And pick something like this. It was quite lovely, but Felicity had no doubt it was way over her budget.

"She didn't find it for you." Oliver informed her when she showed him the pictures, "She found it for me. Although, I'm hoping she actually found it for us."

"You want to live with me? Or me with you." Felicity asked for clarification right away.

"Yes."

She remembered what he said that night during their first date, that he was looking for a place of his own. But during the months they spent on the road it was becoming very clear he was in it for the long haul. It wasn't anymore about living on his own away from the mansion and the memories that sometimes seemed stiffening.

Now it was about living together and making their own memories, their own plans for the future.

"It looks beautiful." she opened the first photo in the mail again, "With a few wisely picked pieces of furniture and some splash of colors on the walls I think we could turn it into a home. What do you think?"

Oliver merely closed the laptop in her lap, and set it on the coffee table, before kissing her passionately. He tried a few drugs when he was younger and dumber, but none was as potent and as addictive as Felicity's kisses.

"I think wherever you are... that's where I found my home."


End file.
